One More Night
by aboz567
Summary: 2 years. That's how long it'd been since the world lost Ash Ketchum. His death wrecked his friends emotionally, especially May Maple. With Ash gone, May felt as if her life no longer had meaning. And the worst part? She never got to tell him that she loved him. What she wouldn't give for even just one more night with him...Advanceshipping. Hints of Ray/Pearl/Amourshipping
1. The World's Greatest Loss

**A/N: Okay, so this was supposed to be a oneshot...and it was supposed to come out before Christmas. But as you can see, it didn't and it is not a oneshot. Because there was more story to tell than I originally thought, I decided to just make this a short story. The chapters will be a bit shorter than you're probably used to from me at 4000-6000 words, and there will be only five or so chapters.**

 **And I must say, this story is going to be cheesy as hell. But hey, cheesy Christmas movies are some of the best entertainment out there. That being said, I hope to really illicit some emotion from you guys in this one.**

 **This story is my first time tackling the whole 'tragedy' and 'hurt/comfort' genres (as well as romance, of course.) And while the main pairing is advanceshipping, there will be hints of pearlshipping, amourshipping and rayshipping (I just couldn't help myself lol). Anyway, with that being said, I hope you enjoy this first chapter of "One More Night".**

 **Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy, Romance**

 **Extended Summary:** **2 years. That's how long it'd been since the world lost Ash Ketchum. His death had wrecked his friends emotionally, especially a particular brown haired coordinator. With Ash gone, May felt as if her life no longer had meaning. Her passion for the things she used to love had been extinguished. And the worst part is, she never got to tell him that she loved him. Oh what she wouldn't give for even just one more night with him...Advanceshipping. Hints of Ray/Pearl/Amourshipping**

* * *

 _ **"...** no matter what comes next, there's one thing I can say with complete confidence... My world ended the moment Ash stopped breathing."_

 _-May Maple_

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One More Night

2 years.

That's how long it'd been since that day.

The day the world stopped for a number of people.

The day that Ash Ketchum died.

It all happened when Ash and May had made plans of visiting one another, with Ash going to Hoenn to see her. To say May was excited would've been a massive understatement. She was so happy that she was going to get to see him again.

It'd been three years since Ash journeyed through Kalos, and immediately after finishing in the aforementioned region, May had returned to travel with Ash and had been doing so ever since. They quickly realized that their bond never even came close to breaking during their time apart, something they were both incredibly grateful for.

After their most recent journey, Ash was going to take a break from traveling for a while, about four months, he decided. He was going to use this time to train his pokemon and spend time with his mother for a while.

May respected his decision and actually decided to do the same at her own home. She needed to spend some quality time with her parents after only seeing them for a few days at a time over the last several years. Plus, she didn't want to start another journey without Ash; she would never go anywhere without him again, no matter what.

A month into their 'vacation' of sorts, May found herself happy with how the break was going. The only problem was that she missed Ash like crazy. They'd only been apart a month, and they talked nearly everyday, but it just wasn't enough for her.

She wanted to see that big goofy smile in person, she wanted to smell his scent, to feel the warmth of his embrace...

It was hardly a secret that May was madly in love with Ash. She'd come to this realization a long time ago, but her feelings were stronger than ever these days.

May'd been trying extremely hard to convince Ash to come to Hoenn for a visit during this break but on a few of occasions, Ash would say that he didn't want to screw up his newly formed training schedule by leaving.

Though, it didn't take too much to convince him to come. After all, he missed May greatly.

...And there was also the fact that he was in love with her as well.

Ash'd come to realize his feelings for the brunette after reuniting with her about three years ago. Like May, he discovered that he'd had these feelings since their first journey together, but just hadn't realized it. But now that he was 19, and May was 18, they were both able to finally recognize their true feelings for one another.

That being said, neither Ash nor May knew that the other was in love with them. But hopefully, that wasn't going to be the case for much longer.

Both Ash and May had decided that it would be during this visit that they would finally confess their feelings to one another. It was a nervous and exciting time for May and Ash, with both of them being incredibly eager to see each other and hopefully, begin their new relationship together, especially since it was now the holiday season, with Christmas being just around the corner.

The Christmas spirit floating through the air would only serve to make their rendezvous all the more special. May, knowing that Ash loved Christmas, and loving Christmas herself, had already planned out a bunch of things they could do that fit the holiday theme. This was shaping up to be the best Christmas May would ever have.

The only problem was that when Ash was planning how he was going to get to Hoenn, he discovered that all of the ferries that typically ran from Kanto to Hoenn had been canceled. As of late, there had been a lot of intense storms over the sea that separated the two regions and a few of the ferries were actually destroyed by the harsh weather. Luckily, nobody was hurt during those instances, but just the fact that this weather was powerful enough to destroy a boat was scary.

While this did discourage Ash, he wasn't going to let it stop him from seeing May. He was going to get to her, somehow, someway.

Ash decided his best bet would be to fly across the sea on Pigeot, whom he had reunited with a few years prior. She definitely had the stamina to fly this distance and with her speed, they would be in Petalburgh City in no time.

Ash made sure to inform May of his plan. This made her incredibly happy as she'd been immensely discouraged and depressed when she discovered that no ferries were running between their two regions for the time being. She'd thought that they weren't going to be able to see each other, so this was amazing news to her.

Though, May made sure to tell Ash to be very careful about how and when he would fly. She told him to make sure to pick a day where the weather forecast showed nothing but sunny skies, all the way from Kanto to Hoenn.

Ash happily obliged and looked up the weather right away. He quickly realized that two days from then would be his best chance to get to Hoenn. Ash made sure to tell this to May, which made her even more excited than before as she now had a set date of when he would be arriving.

Ash also made sure to give her an estimated time of when he would arrive in Hoenn. He used Pigeot's speed to determine just how long it would take. He told May that he would be leaving at noon and arriving at about 4 pm that day.

The next two days went by incredibly slowly to Ash and May. It was like they were kids again, waiting for Christmas, which was ironic considering just how close Christmas day actually was.

Eventually, the day came for Ash's trip. The raven haired trainer made sure to call May before he left, informing her of his departure.

May was bubbling with excitement all day long. The only thing that kept her sane while waiting were the joyous daydreams she was having. She pictured many different scenarios of her and Ash together, both deeply in love with each other. She was more than excited to do these things in real life once she confessed. And if she had to wait a while longer for this to happen, then she would happily do so.

And so, she waited.

And waited...

And waited...

4 pm had come and gone and Ash had still yet to arrive. May wasn't worried by this, however. She knew that Ash had simply guessed the time at which he thought he would arrive. He was probably just running behind schedule and off on his prediction.

While she waited, May decided to watch some TV as if she were to just sit around and do nothing for much longer, she was sure that she would go crazy.

May flipped on the TV, noticing that it was on a news channel. She was about to change it when she saw that they were currently discussing weather. Though, this didn't really interest May as she was sure she already knew what the weather was like today. Even this morning, the forecast had called for clear skies.

Though, that forecast was being betrayed by what May currently saw on the TV. They were showing footage of the dark gray clouded sky off of the coast over the ocean separating Kanto and Hoenn. It was clear to see that the wind was blowing incredibly quickly and every once in a while, she would see lighting flash up in the clouds, as well as hear thunder roar through the speakers of television.

May's heart immediately sunk and started pounding as she became incredibly concerned. Though, she quickly made herself take a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Ash was probably fine. She remembered him telling her about the storm he'd had to weather in order to get to New Island during his first journey, and that was surely worse than this one was.

May managed to convince himself that this was simply why Ash was late, because he had to be more careful during the flight. But in the back of her mind, there was still that one shred of doubt. That one horrible thought.

All May could do was wait, having no way to contact him while he was in the air. 5 pm came and went quickly, but it was nothing compared to how fast 6 and 7 pm flew by. Once the clock hit 8 pm, May really started to worry.

May went to her parents, informing them of Ash's tardiness. Norman and Caroline had been aware that Ash was coming from the start, and had also been wondering where Ash could be.

And once they saw their daughter, her face covered in worry, they became concerned themselves, especially after what she said.

"Ash still isn't here yet. He was supposed to be here four hours ago." May started. "And a storm came out of nowhere and he's gotta be flying right through it. I'm just... I'm really scared."

A few tears began to well up in May's eyes, prompting Caroline to hug her daughter.

"Oh honey, I'm sure Ash is fine. The storm just has him running behind, that's all." Caroline said in an attempt to reassure her daughter.

"And you always say how Ash is the strongest person you know, and I've seen that first hand. He's more than strong enough to get through some silly storm." Norman chimed in, truly believing his words.

May broke away from her mother and nodded her head whilst also wiping away the tears that'd overflowed from her eyes.

"Y-Yeah, you guys are right. Ash will be here, probably any minute now." May spoke hopefully, trying to convince herself more than anybody.

"Come on. Why don't we all go into the family room and wait for Ash together. We can watch a Christmas movie!" Caroline suggested, hoping to take May's mind off of Ash for the time being. And because Christmas movies were almost always lighthearted, she thought this would be a good idea.

May nodded at her mother's words, thinking it would be better than simply waiting around doing nothing. Though, she knew that she wouldn't be able to enjoy the movie. Not until Ash arrived.

And so, Caroline, May and Norman all gathered in the family room, with Max joining them a few minutes in ,and watched the movie.

Though everyone's, even Caroline and Norman's, minds were stuck on the raven hared man that they'd all come to love and respect. And the later it got, the more worried they all became.

When the movie ended two hours later, Ash still hadn't arrived. May was now scared beyond belief, and her parents and brother were worried as well.

"Maybe he turned back when he saw the storm coming." Norman threw out this possibility.

As much as May wanted this to be the case, she knew that it wasn't. "He would've called if he did that."

No one had anything else to say after that. While the TV kept some sound in the room, the family of four simply waited, not paying attention to anything. No one dared to move, even when the clock struck 3 am.

Norman had managed to fall asleep somehow by this point, and so had Max, his younger age causing him to need rest more so than the others. But May and Caroline were still wide awake, both worried beyond belief. Both of their minds were now focused on the worst case scenario, but neither could say it out loud.

They hadn't slept more than a wink when they heard the phone ring at about 9 am. Caroline walked over to the video phone and answered, noticing immediately that it was Delia, Ash's mother on the other end.

Delia shot Caroline a friendly smile before speaking. "Hi, Caroline! I'm just calling to see if Ash is there with you. I told him to call me when he got there, but he hasn't. I'm guessing he must've forgotten."

Caroline's heart sunk once she realized she was going to have to tell Ash's mother that he wasn't here, that he never arrived.

Preparing herself as best she could, Caroline proceeded, with May listening in on the conversation. "Delia...Ash, he...he never showed up yesterday. And he's not here now."

Delia's face contorted in confusion. "Huh...that's strange. He told me that he'd be arriving yesterday. I even saw him off..."

Caroline knew that she had to tell Delia about the storm, about what might've happened. "Delia, a storm hit out of nowhere yesterday. A bad one. Right over where Ash was flying..."

Delia's face retained the confused look for a few moments before it finally sunk in. A look of absolute horror and worry overcame her features as she thought about the possibility of something having happened to her son.

"Do I...Should I call the police...? I- I don't know what to do. I'm-..." The panic in Delia's voice broke Caroline and May's hearts.

"I think that's a good idea, Delia. It's better to just be safe in this case." Caroline told her fellow mother.

Delia nodded at Caroline before saying goodbye and calling the police. May and her mother locked eyes, both incredibly scared at the moment. The possibility of something having happened to Ash had just become very real with the inclusion of the police.

May just couldn't hold it back any longer. She began sobbing as many different scenarios played out in her head. And they were nothing like the daydreams she'd had the day before. Instead, they were filled with horrifying images, things she didn't ever want to see.

May dropped to her knees, prompting her mother to rush over, tears in her eyes as well, and embrace her daughter. She allowed May to cry into her shoulder for hours.

Even after Max and Norman had woken up, May still hadn't let up. Caroline made sure to inform Max and Norman about what was going on now, causing both of them to freak out, Max especially.

He didn't know what to do, so Max simply ran up to his room and slammed the door behind him. Knowing that this wasn't good, Norman followed him to make sure that he would be okay.

They were informed later that day by Delia that a search party had been sent out to look for Ash. This was good news, but it was hard to think about anything being 'good' in this situation.

The next few days included much of the same. The only time May had stopped weeping was when her body would shut down and force her to sleep for an hour or two. May would stay up until the exhaustion literally overwhelmed her and forced her to close her eyes and rest for a while.

Though, May knew that Ash's other friends needed to know what was happening. On that first day of the search, she'd managed to compose herself just long enough to call up every friend of Ash's she could think of. She told Brock, Misty, Dawn, Serena, Cynthia, Iris, Cilan, Clemont, Bonnie, Gary, even Paul received notice of what was happening She'd omitted Professor Oak and Tracey from this list as she assumed Delia had already told them.

All of them had similar responses, with some taking the news harder than others. Dawn, Serena, Cynthia and Misty took it the worst, though. They ended up in a state much like May's, more scared than they'd ever been in their entire lives.

And even though the others appeared to take it better than the three girls, May knew full well that they were just as scared as she was.

While the search continued on, Christmas had come and passed. Even on the actual day, any and all Christmas spirit was entirely absent for everybody involved.

In fact, many of Ash's friends had pretty much ignored Christmas all together and came to Hoenn to see if there was anything that they could do to help. Misty, May, Cynthia, Serena, Dawn, Brock, Clemont and Bonnie were amongst those who came to Hoenn; the others would have as well, but the one's who weren't there had any number of circumstances that made them unable to leave for the time being, which was more than understandable; they'd actually been surprised that Cynthia had managed to get away from her duties to come to Hoenn. Delia also came to help, not wanting to just sit around and do nothing while her precious son needed her help.

They don't know how they did it, but they had managed to fit all of the visitors into the Maple household. Of course, the majority of them didn't get to sleep in beds, but none of them cared in the slightest. They weren't here to be comfortable. They were here to help find Ash.

Since that day, not a single storm had occurred, which lead the ferries to start running once again once the new year commenced. Taking this a sign that it would be safe, the group began going on their own searches for Ash.

Apparently, Norman knew a guy that was willing to let him use their boat for this, so none of them would have to ride out in the ocean on their pokemon.

They searched dusk till dawn everyday for weeks, scanning every part of the massive ocean, as well as any landmass, that they could. But even after two full weeks had passed, Ash had still yet to be found.

Everyday, any hope the group had was becoming harder and harder to hold onto. There was still no sign of Ash anywhere...

It wasn't until three and a half weeks had passed that anything was found.

It wasn't found by the group of friends, but the coast guard, whom was aiding them in their search. When the gang of friends were told that they'd found something, their eyes lit up, hopeful that this 'something', was Ash.

But when the coast guard officer pulled out what looked to be the belt that Ash wore to hold his pokeballs, their hearts sunk deeper than they ever had before. Many fell to the ground, crying hysterically at the implication.

Brock, while still feeling more intense worry and sadness than he ever had before, realized that six pokeballs still remained on the belt. And one in particular, had a small yellow lightning bolt on the front.

Having a funny feeling about this, Brock asked for the belt and unclipped Pikachu's pokeball from it.

"Guys..." Brock said, hoping to gain everyone's attention. While they were still crying, the group had the wherewithal to look at Brock. "I think Pikachu is in his ball. Maybe he knows something."

Because of the potential hope this brought the gang, nobody realized just how odd it was that Pikachu was in his ball... what that might mean...

Brock proceeded to release Pikachu, the yellow pokemon materializing in front of them.

Instantly, Pikachu started looking around frantically, yelling out 'Pika Pi!' over and over again.

It wasn't long before Pikachu finally realized where he was. He saw all of Ash's and his friends, with sad, yet hopeful eyes. Pikachu really didn't want to rip this hope out of them, but he just couldn't control it. He knew what'd happened. He knew what had come of his best friend and trainer...

Pikachu started crying.

Wailing, actually.

As they realized what this meant, the group went completely hysterical. No one was spared by the emotion that swept through the crowd.

Pikachu had singled out May and rushed into her arms, still sobbing. May, not noticing Pikachu's arrival until the last second, hugged the pokemon tightly, crying heavily right along with him.

After a few minutes, May knew that she needed confirmation of what they thought. And so, with a voice so full of sorrow that it was difficult to understand, May spoke.

"Pikachu...is Ash..-is he..." May couldn't bring herself to say that one word, but everyone knew what she was trying to say.

Pikachu pulled away from May just slightly and looked directly into her eyes. After just a few seconds, Pikachu nodded his head and returned to his previous position.

Even though they knew this was the case before, the fact that it was now confirmed to be true cut everyone deeply. No one reacted for a few moments, too surprised to do anything but sit and stare at nothing.

Though when Delia let our her first tear filled shriek, the others followed soon after.

The coast guard felt an incredible amount of sympathy for these people and was deeply saddened himself that they hadn't been able to find their friend in time to save him. This was always the hardest part of his job.

But he still had a job to do. He had to contact headquarters and tell them to call off the search and rescue. That there was no point anymore.

That the man they'd been searching for, Ash Ketchum, was dead.

The next few days passed in a blur. Delia couldn't let go of the brief hope that Ash was still out there, alive somehow, and she was furious at the coast guard for calling off their search.

Everyone else felt nothing but pure sorrow and depression. They all remained at the Maple household as no one had the strength to go back home.

In fact, the parents of a few members of the group actually made their way to Hoenn themselves after being told of the news. Dawn and Serena's mothers showed up, and so did Misty's sisters, as well as Clemont and Bonnie's father.

Gary and Paul also came, laving behind whatever was keeping them at home before, not knowing what else to do..

It was more than a full house at this point but even still...

May, as well as the others, had never felt more alone.

Everyone was taking this hard, but it was easy to tell that May was taking it the worst out of everyone, and that was saying something considering how badly everyone else was feeling. And while this was true, Serena, Dawn and Cynthia were handling this no better than May was.

Pikachu had spent all of his time by May's side, in a state much like hers. May appreciated the link to Ash that Pikachu brought her, even if she couldn't exactly feel that at the moment.

A few nights, May would find herself cuddled up between her parents in their bed, like she used to do whenever she had a bad dream as a child.

And on those rare occasion where she would actually be able to sleep for a while, May desperately hoped that she would wake up, only to realize that everything that'd happened was just a horrible, _horrible_ nightmare. But every time her eyes wold flutter open, the reality of everything would hit her, making her feel worse and worse every time.

Caroline, Norman, Johanna Berlitz and Grace Yvonne had spent the few days after the news of Ash's passing trying to help Delia set up his funeral. None of them could think of a worse thing than losing their child. No parent should ever have to bury their kid.

And yet, here they were, helping Delia prepare to do exactly that.

By the time they were all to leave for Kanto for the funeral, many had stopped crying so frequently. Not because they felt any better, but simply because their bodies could not keep producing the amount of tears they needed to sob like they were at all hours of the day.

When May wasn't crying, she was almost like a robot. She would often be seen staring blankly at nothing, hardly noticing anything going on around her.

Her parents were incredibly concerned about their daughter and were actually beginning to worry if she would ever get past this. Norman and Caroline both knew of May's love for Ash, and they couldn't even begin to comprehend how hard it would be to lose the person you love more than anything else in the world.

The other parents were incredibly worried for their children as well, with many of them reacting similarly to May. They knew full well just how important Ash was to their children. In nearly all cases, he was the most important person in their lives. This was by far the hardest thing any of them would ever have to go through.

No one had any idea what to do next. Well, other than one thing.

The funeral.

The date had been set and everything had been arranged. It would be held at Professor Oak's ranch. All that was needed at this point was for everyone to gather in Pallet Town for the event.

People came from across the globe to witness Ash's burial. Well, the burial of a casket that signified Ash. After all, they'd never found the body...

Everyone was surprised by just how many people Ash had impacted enough for them to come to their funeral. Gym leaders, Elite 4 members, Champions and dozes upon dozens of other people were all packed into the small town of Pallet for the service. There had to have been almost 250 people there.

On top of this, every single one of Ash's pokemon were present as well.

Many of these people were even crying, the Sinnoh champion Cynthia being one of them.

Cynthia had met up with Ash many times over the past three years, also meeting May in the process. Her relationship with both Ash and May had grown to be incredibly deep and to Cynthia, these two were without a doubt her best friends.

Cynthia sought out May before the service began, taking her to a more secluded spot.

It was here that both of them broke down once again and embraced each other for a while. It was still so hard to believe that Ash was gone. They just couldn't control their emotions at the moment.

"I never even got to tell him...He doesn't even know that I love him!" May sobbed into Cynthia's shoulder as the two embraced.

Cynthia felt worse than she ever had in her life but no matter how bad she currently felt, she knew that May had to be in an even worse way.

Cynthia had actually developed deep romantic feelings for the raven haired man after they'd met up again and started spending more time together. But once she found out that May was in love with him, she told herself that she would never interfere with them getting together, and she'd stuck to that promise. But now, it looked like that didn't matter...

Once they returned to the crowd, Cynthia made sure to seek out Dawn as well, having not forgotten about her and the time they'd spent together.

It wasn't long after this that everyone was called for the service to start. The entirety of those present took their seats and waited for the even to start.

They all watched as the pallbearers, who were made up of Gary, Brock, Paul, Tracey, and Norman, walked with the casket to the area they'd been told to place it, on a platform above a grave that'd been dug earlier.

The service started quickly after that. After a while, Brock went up to the podium and made a heartfelt speech about Ash and how he'd impacted all of their lives. He was forced to cut his speech short however as his emotions overtook him in the end. Though even with him failing to properly conclude what he was saying, his speech was lovely.

Delia had actuality stated that she wanted to say a few words after Brock, but there was no way, in the state she was currently in, that she was going to be able to do that. May noticed this and recognized that something had to be done.

May was at that familiar stage of the day where she'd run out of tears, and this was the only time she'd be able to get any words out. She had so much she wanted to say, it was just a question if she'd be able to get it all out before she lost control again.

Placing Pikachu, who'd been seated on her lap, down on the chair she'd previously been sitting in, May approached the podium as everyone watched on in silence. May looked over the crowd, amazed at just how many people had shown up, how many lives Ash had impacted over the course of his journey. He had brought so many people together, and he didn't even know it. The thought of this normally would've made May smile.

But not today

Actually, May wasn't entirely sure that she would ever smile again.

Everyone waited patiently for the beautiful brunette coordinator to begin speaking. May used these few moments of silence to try to gather her thoughts in the jumbled mess that was her mind. She knew that the only way she was going to be able to do this would be to speak straight from her heart and hold nothing back...

Just like Ash always did.

May took a deep breath before finally beginning her speech. "I-I don't really know how to start this, so forgive me if my words come out all jumbled." May prefaced the crowd. "...I still don't feel like it's real. Everyday, I wake up from those few minutes I'm able to sleep a night and think that I'd just had the most horrible dream ever, only to find that my worst nightmare is now also my reality."

May's words struck many people in the heart. No one could turn away from the lovely brunette dressed in black, the emotional start to her speech leaving the crowd wanting to hear what she had to say next.

"Some of you know this already...most of you probably don't. Either way, I'll say it right here and now. I was, am, and always will be, in love with Ash Ketchum. So in love that I could never even so much as think of anyone other than him in that way. In fact on...on that day...Ash was coming to Hoenn so we could spend time together before Christmas. And during his trip, I was going to tell him how I felt about him..." May looked down. Her body had somehow managed to produce a few tears that ran down her cheeks.

May looked back up at the crowd before she continued. "I'll never love anyone the way I loved Ash, not after being with him for so long and experiencing all of the wonderful things he brought to the world. He was my everything and just the thought of a life without him...it sounds like the worst form of torture there could ever be. But that's the reality I face now..." May paused, the emotion in her voice intensifying to the point where she had to stop for a moment. She took another deep breath before shaking her head and continuing. "I know that I'm never going to get past this, and I'm just going to have to accept that. But no matter what comes next, there's one thing I can say with complete confidence... My world ended the moment Ash stopped breathing."

Most everyone, her parents especially, became incredibly worried over what May had said. She sounded almost suicidal. But that wasn't who May was. She would never, _never_ kill herself under any circumstances; even when she was depressed beyond belief, she still recognized that life was precious and ending it would solve nothing.

She was simply telling the truth.

There were only a few certainties May had in her mind, the first of which being that she would always love Ash, and no one else; there was just no way anyone could ever compare or take his place. She also knew for a fact that this would be something she would never get over, no matter how hard she tried or how much time had passed. And she knew that the others who'd been closest to Ash wouldn't get over this either, even if there came a time when it seemed like they had.

"Brock covered pretty much everything that needed to be said about Ash. But I do have one correction to make." May said, holding up one finger. "You said that Ash was a great man, but you're wrong about that, Brock...Ash was the _greatest_ man to have ever walked this Earth. No one can ever compare to him."

Tears were flowing down May's cheeks, but she wasn't wailing, her face was simply stoic. "So I guess if I have just one more thing to say, it'd be this..." May looked up toward the sky before speaking. "I love you Ash Ketchum, and I'll be counting the seconds until I get to see you again."

May stood staring at the sky for a few moments longer before returning to her seat. Brock commended her on her speech with a pat on the shoulder, but she hardly even noticed. By this point, her emotions had overtaken her completely once again.

The rest of the funeral flew by and by the time it was over, the sun had just began to set.

A few hours after the service and wake had ended, May found herself in the backyard of the Ketchum household, leaning over the railing of their deck and looking at the sky.

She was so engrossed in her gaze that she didn't even notice Brock and Gary approach her. She only pulled her stare from the night sky once the two were standing directly next to her.

May watched as Gary took a swig out of something in a paper bag. Gary then motioned the drink to May. "You want some?"

May, not being a drinker and knowing that alcohol would only make things worse, shook her head in the negative.

"Gary, you know that's not a good way to handle this." Brock scolded the young researcher.

"Relax, Brock. I'm not even drunk. I just need something to get me through tonight, and then I'll stop." Gary told the older man, truly meaning it. Gary actually wasn't a huge drinker either, which made Brock believe Gary's words. This was the worst day of their lives, and Brock couldn't really blame Gary for needing something to help him get through it.

Brock simply nodded at his friend before May's soft voice rang out.

"Brock...?" May started, the familiar emotional tone still present in her voice. "What are we supposed to do now...? Where do we go from here?"

May's voice had a pleading tone in it, which stabbed both Brock and Gary right in the heart. Brock looked at May, noticing she was looking up once again, and then shifted his gaze toward the sky as well.

"We live." Brock said simply. His words caused May to look at him. "That's what Ash would want us to do. It's gonna take time...a lot of time... but eventually, we're gonna have to start living again. It's all we can do."

May didn't say anything as she turned her gaze back toward the sky, her mind stuck on just one thought.

" _I just don't know if I'm ever going to be able to do that Brock..."_

The years that'd passed since Ash's death had been the hardest of not only May's, but everyone's lives. Delia almost never left her house, and she would often times find herself just sitting in Ash's room, crying.

Misty had returned to her gym, but had her sisters take over as leaders for a while. It was only about a month ago that she'd tried to return to her duties, but she was having a harder time than she'd thought she would in terms of battling challengers; her mind simply couldn't focus on only the battle as it used to.

About two months ago, Dawn had tried to return to coordinating. She really did try her best in her first contest back, but she just didn't have the same spark, the same drive, that she used to. The passion was gone. It just felt so meaningless. It quickly became obvious that she needed more time before she'd be ready to return to the coordinating circuit.

Serena hadn't left her house much, like May, only leaving every few months to go to Pallet Town and stay with Ash's mother for a while. Grace hated that she almost never saw her daughter smile anymore, but there was nothing she could about it. Serena hadn't yet tried to return to performing as she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Brock had taken a year off from is pokemon doctoral practice. When he returned, the only thing that kept him going was the knowledge that this was what Ash would want him to do. That being said, Brock often times still found himself breaking down. He missed his brother in all but blood so much.

The others were all in a similar way. Most everyone had tried their best to return to their lives a they were before the accident, with some having greater success than others. That being said, no one was exactly doing _great_.

May though, she'd stuck true to her word. She wasn't getting past this, and she wouldn't anytime soon. She was still almost certain that she would never be able to move on from this.

Even two years after his death, the love May felt for Ash still burned as strong as ever. Many days, she'd find herself staring at her half of the Terracotta ribbon for hours, just reminiscing about their time together.

But just as her love still burned for him, so did the pain she felt over his passing. Even after two years, it was still hard to believe that he was really gone.

Ash had always been the strong one, the person who could make it through anything. He'd faced rampaging legendary pokemon, evil organizations and more and come out the other side. But something as trivial as a bad storm was what took him out in the end.

When a person's luck runs out, anything can happen, May supposed.

Pikachu had decided to go live with May after the funeral, all but officially becoming her pokemon. Though, this didn't really matter as May hadn't even considered going back to coordinating at this point; there was just no way she'd be able to do it, especially since Ash played such a pivotal role in getting her into contests in the first place. The act of performing would only serve to remind her of him, which would lead to her breaking down.

Pikachu wanted to come with May back to Hoenn because out of all of Ash's companions, Pikachu felt the most comfortable with May. As the saying goes, a pokemon's feelings often mimic those of their trainer. And because Ash had loved May deeply, Pikachu did as well.

This also aided the development of Pikachu and May's Glaceon's relationship. Pikachu, much like May, still hadn't gotten any better in terms of getting past the loss of his trainer. But Glaceon was there for him every step of the way. She would comfort him, talk to him, anything she could do to help him, she would do it, and Pikachu appreciated this more than she would ever know.

As it was nearing Christmas time, Caroline had decorated the house for the theme, hoping that maybe, it would help May in some way. The fact that she hadn't gotten any better emotionally after two years worried both her and Norman immensely; even Max had shown some level of improvement over this significant amount of time. Not much, but some.

But now, along with Christmas also came the anniversary of Ash's death, which ruined everything about the holiday that May used to love. May hated Christmas for the sole reason that it reminded her of the day she was supposed to tell Ash of her feelings, only to have him never show up.

On some level, May appreciated what her mother was trying to do by decorating the house, but it simply wasn't going to work. Norman and Caroline had tried almost everything they could think of, but nothing could break May out of her crippling depression.

May wouldn't eat even close to as much food as she used to. She still had trouble sleeping. Nothing her parents would do could cheer May up. The best they ever got was a momentary smile, but they knew that most of them were forced.

To say that May was depressed would be a gross understatement. She was a shell of her former self, and it was starting to seem that there was no way that she'd ever return to who she was before the tragedy.

May rarely left her house anymore, only ever leaving to go visit Delia every once in a while. May would visit the Ketchum household because even though being reminded of Ash was painful, it was nice to feel somewhat near to him once again. Plus, she loved Delia like a second mother, and even with her dealing with her own pain, May wanted to do ll she could to help her.

It wasn't just herself who made this pilgrimage every few months. Serena, Misty and Dawn also visited Delia semi-regularly. Cynthia had also stopped by a few times over the years. Delia was still having a very hard time and while Professor Oak and Tracey were taking good care of her, they could only do so much; having May and the others there was always a big help.

The only thing that got May through the day anymore was the faith she had that she would see Ash again one day. That someday, somehow, they would be reunited, and they would never be forced apart again.

The next time they met, it would be forever.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of "One More Night". To answer your questions, yes Ash really is dead, not just missing somewhere. I know, I know, I'm sorry, please don't hurt me! I have come to notice that Ash does have it pretty rough in my stories. In "A Trial of Will", he gets shot, in "Facade" he's stabbed, in "How to Change a Life", he falls nearly to his death. The only story he's spared in is "We All Want What We Ain't got" lol. I guess I just have a thing for making Ash suffer. But that's what so great about Ash as a character; no matter what happens, he always comes bouncing back. Well...usually. In this case, not so much.**

 **Also as you saw, I decided to make Cynthia a bigger part of both Ash and May's life in this story, with them being best friends. I've always loved Rayshipping and have never included even hints of it in any of my stories. And while I will eventually write a rayshipping story, I just couldn't resist writing Cynthia to have feelings for Ash in this story. But for any of you that are worried, Advanceshipping is still the main pairing and will be by far the main focus of the story.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will reveal quite a lot and things will continue to get heavier and heavier. Please follow, favorite and review! See ya!**


	2. Consumed by Grief

" _When are you gonna realize that he's gone!? What has it been, two years?!... Get over it!...You know what? I'm glad that piece of shit is dead! The world is better off without him!"_

 _\- Drew Hayden_

* * *

One More Night

Once again, he was sitting in the Maple household, but no one would've ever guessed that.

After all, no one could see him.

He was standing in the doorway between the family room and the kitchen, his eyes glued on the beautiful brunette currently occupying one of the couches in the family room.

All he could do was look on sadly as May cried silent tears and stared blankly out the window, a scene that'd become all to familiar to him over the past couple of years. She'd been like this for almost an hour, which wasn't uncommon in the slightest.

The only thing that broke her out of this state was the call of her name. "May! Can you come here, please?"

May recognized her mother's voice coming from the kitchen. Sighing, May stood up and approached the room her mother was currently in.

He watched as May approached him, not moving from his position in the doorway.

While he'd expected her to simply continue into the kitchen, for some reason, May'd stopped just a few inches from him.

And even though it may have seemed as if she did...

May had no idea that the man she'd been crying over for the past two years was standing right in front of her.

May broke out of the momentary stupor that'd caused her to pause her stride and continued on.

Without any interference, she walked right through Ash's being and into the kitchen. After May went through him, Ash turned around and followed May to her destination. He then watched the interaction between mother and daughter.

"I made you your favorite meal for dinner, honey! Why don't you sit down and I'll make you up a plate?" Caroline spoke as happily as she could.

May's expression never changed from the sad and stoic one it held almost all the time nowadays. "No thanks, Mom. I'm not very hungry."

Without giving her mother a chance to respond, May walked back into the living room and reclaimed her position on the couch.

Ash watched as Caroline sighed and a sad look overcame her features. Tears were clearly building up in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. She let these emotions control her for a few moments before she took a deep breath and composed herself as best she could.

Having done this, Caroline went to work cleaning up the mess she'd made while cooking this food, which was now going to be wasted.

For the millionth time since the accident, Ash found himself heartbroken. He wanted nothing more than for May to move on with her life, to enjoy it once again. But even after two years, that still didn't seem like a possibility.

Ash vividly remembered attending his own funeral. It was the strangest thing he'd ever experienced by far. That being said, he was glad that he went.

He couldn't believe how many people had shown up for his funeral, how many people had mourned over him. Ash was happy that he'd managed to impact that many people in such a positive way, but also felt horrible for being the root of their pain and anguish.

He'd also been able to listen to May's speech. Ash was shocked when May confessed her love for him to everyone in attendance. This revelation filled him with absolute joy, but only for a few moments as it didn't take long for him to realize that himself and May could never be together. This, in Ash's mind, was an even greater tragedy than his death.

Sometimes, it was incredibly difficult to simply watch the world move by while having no impact on it himself. But ultimately, Ash was glad that he'd managed to work out the deal with Arceus that he did.

When Ash reached what some might call 'heaven', he immediately discovered that Arceus was in fact not only god to the pokemon, but to the people of the world as well. Arceus was deeply saddened to see the life of his chosen one cut so short, but he didn't meddle in affairs of the world. That is, except for in certain, very rare situations, he could alter the course of fate; he'd only ever done this once before as it was extremely dangerous to mess around with the natural order of things. This was why it seemed that here was nothing Arceus could do to bring his chosen one back to life, even despite his immense importance to the world.

After coming to terms with the fact that he was dead, Ash made.a request to Arceus. He was so incredibly worried about all of his friends and family, how they were handling his passing. This was what led Ash to his request.

Ash'd asked for Arceus to allow him to be able to watch over those he cared for. And after all Ash had done for him, Arceus was happy to comply. As he would have no impact on the world and would only be watching, there would be no danger in what Ash wanted to do.

Which leads us to where we are now. Ash spent a lot of his time in the homes of his closest friends, May's especially as his love for her still burned as strongly as it had when he was alive. And because of this love, his concern for her was also incredibly high. Between worrying about all of his friends, May and his mother, Ash was in a near constant state of stress.

Ash'd had watched May change from the bubbly, happy, excitable person she used to be into a depressed shell of her former self. Ash couldn't think of a single time when he'd seen her _truly_ happy over the past two years. Sure, he'd seen her crack a smile every once in a while, usually when she saw Pikachu and Glaceon together, but it just wasn't the same as it used to be.

While May's smile used to light up the room, it was now dim, almost lifeless. Most every time she smiled, Ash could tell that it was forced to an extent.

And while it was him who'd requested to be able to watch over his loved ones, Ash found simply watching and not being able to do anything to help to be the most frustrating thing he'd ever experienced.

The two year anniversary of his death had come and passed already, with it now being December 23rd and the day that he'd died being December 19th. Ash opted not to watch anyone on that day as he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle the sheer amount of grief that everyone would surely be experiencing.

And while watching the world go by was difficult, Ash always found himself coming back, not being able to let go of those he held so dear to his heart. Even if they couldn't see or hear him, watching over them made him feel like he was still with them in some way. He just wished that they knew that as well.

Ash decided that he should go check up on a few other people as he wasn't sure he'd be able to watch May sit like this for much longer without breaking down himself. And so, in the blink of an eye, Ash appeared in his mother's house. In his old room, actually.

Ash immediately saw his mother, sitting on his bed, holding one of his pillows to her chest. She was clearly crying as she looked at all of the pictures and badges that were hung on the walls.

This wasn't an uncommon sight for Ash to see. When his mother wasn't with Professor Oak or gardening, she spent a lot of her time in his room, allowing herself to wallow in her sadness.

Ash had gained an even higher level of respect for Professor Oak in the years after his passing. It was clear that he was doing everything he could to help Delia. Everyday, without fail, Professor Oak would come over, or he would have Delia go over to his lab. And even when Professor Oak was still mourning Ash's death himself, with the young training being like a grandson to him, he still stayed strong to help his mother.

But despite all he did for her, there was no way for Professor Oak to be with Delia all the time. And that was when she would have moments like this.

Ash knew immediately that he had to leave; he couldn't bear to see his mom like this any longer. Not when there was nothing he could do to help her.

Ash then decided to visit Cynthia, someone he'd become very close with in the three years prior to his death. So once again, Ash closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was in the blonde woman's home.

During his first visit here, Ash'd discovered that Cynthia lived with her grandmother. He wondered why at first, only to discover from a conversation between the two that her grandmother would sometimes need someone to help her do things. That being said, her grandmother was still spry and active. So while they said that they lived together so that Cynthia could take care of her, Ash knew that it was more just to have the comfort of family around at all times, something Ash understood perfectly, especially with what happened.

Ash looked around, seeing Cynthia's grandmother almost immediately, knitting and watching TV. But he couldn't find Cynthia anywhere, even after looking in almost all of the rooms in the house. Just when he was about to give up and go to visit another of his friends, the front door to the house opened and Cynthia walked in.

Ash, along with everyone else that was close with the beautiful blonde woman, noticed quickly that Cynthia just wasn't the same after Ash's passing. Though, that wasn't all that surprising, Ash supposed. After all, none of his friends were truly the same.

Over the years, he'd watched Cynthia grieve almost daily, much like the others he held so dear to his heart. Though, Ash found that she only allowed herself to become overtaken by her sadness at night, when she was completely alone.

Of course, there were instances where Cynthia couldn't hold it back for that long, but she always tried to only break down when she was alone. It broke Ash's heart to see that crying herself to sleep was a common occurrence for Cynthia nowadays.

What saddened Ash the most was that Cynthia had lost her title of Sinnoh Champion about a year and a half ago. She'd opted to take some time off after Ash death, but the longest she could stretch out the break was just under six months, and eve that was difficult to pull off. This was a lot of time off by anyone's standards but after losing someone so close to her, she still didn't think it was anywhere near long enough.

And while she knew she would have to go back to defending her title when someone would challenge her, Cynthia knew that she still wasn't ready. While her mind was normally solely focused on the battle she was currently in, now, she couldn't help but battle slightly distracted.

It was after this six month break that Cynthia was forced to return to her duties as she had a challenger for her title. She was no where near ready, and she knew that, but she didn't have a choice. When someone had earned the right to challenge for her title, she had to accept.

This was what lead to Cynthia losing her title in her first defense back. To her credit, it did come down to the wire, with her opponent's Abomasnow just barely edging out Cynthia's Garchomp.

This loss had only served to further her depression. And while she had moved on from this part of her life, the loss of her title still haunted her. And while she should've taken over for one of the Sinnoh Elite Four after losing her title of champion, she declined the position for the time being, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do the job properly; she would only return once she was sure she could battle like herself again, and she had no idea when that would be.

The only good thing that came out of losing her title was that now, she didn't have to screen calls or worrying about someone from the league showing up at her house telling her that she had to go back to work. Now, here schedule was completely free, which was both a good and a horrible thing.

Cynthia knew that she wasn't going to get her battling spirit back by just sitting around, doing nothing, so on a particularly good day about eight months ago, Cynthia had told her grandmother that she was going to begin traveling again, news which she, and Ash, were ecstatic about. It looked like Cynthia was finally going to begin moving on...

But eight months later, Cynthia still hadn't left. And while she wouldn't admit it, her grandmother and Ash both knew that she didn't have plans of going on this journey anytime soon.

All of this replayed in Ash's mind as the beautiful blonde entered her home.

"Grandma, I'm back! I got my ticket." Cynthia's shouted out.

At the moment, Cynthia appeared to be relatively okay, but Ash could tell that the depression she felt was still inside of her, she'd just gotten better at hiding it while in public; this was much like a lot of his friends as despite what they felt, they still had things they sometimes had to do, as much as they would try to avoid them. The depression, the crippling sadness, would always be there, but there were times that they felt the need to hide it.

Ash's ears perked up when he heard Cynthia say something about a ticket.

" _Is she actually going to start traveling again...?"_ Ash thought, hoping that this was the case.

Cynthia's grandmother nodded. "I'm glad, dear. I think it's great that your going to this party at the Maple's house tomorrow. It'll be good for you to be around your friends again for a while. Spending Christmas and New Years with them will be wonderful, I'm sure"

Ash was surprised by the news. He hadn't known that May and her family were having a Christmas party.

Cynthia half smiled at the older woman's words and nodded her head. "Y-Yeah...It'll be nice."

Truth be told, Cynthia was extremely scared about going to this party. All of Ash's old friends would be in attendance, and she was terrified that having all of them together would evoke even deeper negative emotions over the loss of the man who'd brought them all together in the first place...

That being said, Cynthia still felt the desire to go. As slim a chance as it might be, Cynthia had hope that this _would_ be good for her. That this would be good for all of Ash's old friends. Spending Christmas together was something that would hopefully bring them happiness, something that had become very difficult to find over the past couple of years.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I really don't mind running back to the docks and buying you a ferry ticket." Cynthia asked, making sure this was what she wanted.

Cynthia's grandmother smiled and nodded. "Oh yes dear, I'm sure. You know I've never been much of a Christmas person myself. While you're celebrating with your friends, your good ol' granny is gonna be hitting the game corner casino with my friends!"

This response actually managed to illicit a chuckle from Cynthia, as well as a hearty laugh from Ash.

"Okay. I'm gonna go pack my things. Remember, I'll be back on the 4nd." Cynthia reminded her grandmother, hoping that she wouldn't forget.

The old woman simply nodded before Cynthia made her way up the stairs and into her room to pack her things for the trip.

Ash was immensely curious as to how he didn't know about this party. He checked on all of his friends every single day, May especially, so he wasn't sure how he didn't know about this until just now.

It wasn't long before he realized that May must not have known about the party. This wasn't hard to believe as Norman and Caroline had tried everything they could think of to cheer up their daughter, and this seemed like something they might try in order to do that.

Deciding that he quite literally had all the time in the world to check on his other friends, Ash reappeared in the Maple household. Though instead of watching May this time, he focused his attention on Norman and Caroline, who were up in their room, sitting at a desk, looking over an open notebook with writing inside. It appeared to be a list of some sort.

Caroline had a pen in her hand and was currently writing something in the notebook. Before Ash could move in to get a closer look, Caroline began speaking.

"Okay, they're all coming. That's good." Caroline sounded relieved.

Ash could see a bit of hesitance on Norman's face, and he didn't have to wait long to find out why this was. "Honey...are you sure this is a good idea? Is having all of May's friends, all of _Ash's_ friends, and their families stay with us for Christmas going to cheer May up...or is it just make things worse?"

Caroline didn't respond immediately. Instead, she simply looked her husband in the eye, a terribly sad look appearing on her face. Tears even began welling up in her eyes.

Caroline placed her head in her hands before speaking. "...I don't know Norman, but we have to do something. It's been two years, and she's still not any better, and neither is Max. None of them are better according to their parents. I know May said she was never going to get over this, but I thought that eventually-...I just don't know anymore, Norman. We just have to keep trying."

Norman put a reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder. "You're right. I think this is a good idea, I do." Normans paused and looked away form his wife. "I wish so badly May would get past this, but I can understand why she hasn't. I couldn't even imagine losing the one I love, I couldn't imagine losing you. If I did...I'd probably be acting the same way May is."

Caroline nodded her head before embracing her husband. While still in the hug, Norman spoke again. "We have to tell May. Surprising her with this isn't a good idea."

Caroline nodded as the two pulled away from one another.

Caroline then stood to her feet, prompting Norman to do the same. The former of which spoke as she did so. "Better to do that sooner rather than later."

Ash followed the two parents into the living room, noticing immediately that May still hadn't moved from her spot. She wasn't crying, but her face was hollow and she was just staring out the window at the overcast sky.

Ash assumed that Norman and Caroline must've already told Max about the party as they hadn't called him down here to tell him as well. With that in mind, Ash watched the scene unfold in front of him.

"May, sweetie?" Caroline started gently, taking a seat next to her on the couch. May turned to look at her mother, though her stoic expression never changed. "We have something to tell you."

A very minor look of intrigue appeared in May's tired eyes, Ash noticed; he was always incredibly glad to see something, anything other than emptiness and pain behind May's stunning blue eyes, even if whatever it was would only flash for just a second.

"...We're going to be having a party tomorrow... a Christmas party!" Caroline managed out, nervous as to how her daughter would take the news. She then paused to see how May would react. Seeing that she hadn't in any way, she continued. "All of your friends and their families are coming. They're going to spend Christmas and New Years with us. Isn't that great?"

Caroline forced some excitement into her voice as she spoke, hoping that it might illicit some kind of positive reaction from her daughter.

While she didn't react immediately, May's mind was racing with thoughts. Was this a good idea? Could she handle this? After all, the only reason she'd become friends with all of these people in the first place was because Ash had brought them all together. This thought alone almost made her start crying once again, but at the moment, she found herself out of tears, something that would happen to her every once in a while.

Though despite all of the hesitance and fear she was feeling, May also felt something she hadn't in a long time...

Excitement.

It wasn't much, but it was definitely there.

She _wanted_ to see her friends. It'd been quite some time since they'd last seen each other in person, and May was just now realizing that she missed them all dearly. She talked to a few of them on the phone every once in a while, Cynthia, Dawn and Serena especially, but it wasn't the same as being together in person. Not even close. And plus, the conversations she would have with her closest friends would always be short and concise as they often found themselves not knowing what to say.

May actually managed to force a smile before she spoke. "I think that sounds like a lot of fun...Thank you for setting this up."

Norman and Caroline almost couldn't believe it. This was the first time in so long that May was actually looking forward to something. And she wasn't just saying this to make them think she was okay, as she often did. In her eyes, the two parents could actually see a bit of excitement.

Caroline almost started crying right then and there, but she controlled herself and simply brought her daughter into a hug. "Of course, sweetie. I just want you to be happy again."

Norman watched as the two women in his life embraced for a few moments, for the first time in two years, feeling truly good.

"People should start arriving by ferry at around 3 o clock tomorrow! So, uh, be ready!" Caroline said, not being used to feeling so hopeful.

May nodded her head and forced another smile at her parents before they walked away. And while she had forced it out originally, this was the first time in a while that the smile remained on her face once she was alone. It was only there for a few seconds, but there was no denying that the smile had been genuine.

Ash was so incredibly happy about this. He wanted nothing more than for his friends to move on, May especially as he held her particularly close to his heart. There was also the fact that she was taking his passing worse than everyone else, which was truly saying something considering how badly some of his other friends were dealing with it.

Ash watched as May looked at the ceiling, clearly preparing to speak. 'Talking to Ash' was something she'd taken to doing every once in a while. In some ways, it did make her feel better, if only just slightly and just for a few moments. For some reason, she truly felt that he could hear her.

Little did she know, she was right.

Ash'd heard everything she'd said to 'him' over the past two years. It felt amazing to have May still talking to him in a way, but it was also heartbreaking t not be able to respond to her words. This was particularly hard to deal with when May was speaking of her own disrepair, which was sadly the most common topic of these talks.

But this time, Ash knew it was going to be different. He listened intently as May started speaking.

"Um...Hey, Ash. I just wanted to tell you that all of our old friends are coming over to spend Christmas and New Years with us. For the first time I can remember, I'm actually kind of excited..." May paused, nearly smiling again. Ash lit up at her words.

Though before May began speaking once again, her face dropped. "...But I'm also really scared... I'm scared that seeing everyone is going to do nothing but remind me of you, of the fact that you're gone... It was you who brought us all together, after all. Without you, none of us ever would've ever became friends. So...thank you for that. I'm trying to have faith that this'll be fun, but I just don't know. Wish me luck." May paused for a moment. "I really wish you were here, Ash. I love you and I'll talk to you later...bye."

When she finished, May looked back downward and allowed a few tears to fall. This was always how her 'conversations with Ash' would end: with her being reminded of the fact that even if Ash could hear her somehow, he would never be able to respond.

Ash watched in sorrow, for the millionth time feeling awful that he'd caused the woman he loved, as well as all of his other fiends, so much pain and anguish.

Though, he couldn't dwell on this for long as a few moments later, the sound of someone knocking on glass could be heard.

Both Ash and May looked over to the large glass window in the family room they were currently stationed in, hoping to find the source of the noise. Though as soon as they did this, they both wished they hadn't

Ash and May scowled as they recognized the green haired boy standing outside, looking as arrogant as ever.

May sighed deeply before standing up, walking over to the window, and closing the blinds, removing the awful eyesore from sight.

May absolutely hated Drew. She'd hated him for a long time now, even before Ash had passed away. When she decided to begin traveling with Ash again all those years ago, Drew freaked out and said some very awful things, both about her, and especially about Ash.

By the time she'd made the decision to travel with Ash once again, May already didn't like the green haired coordinator. As soon as she left Ash's side to go to the Johto region, she began to detest Drew. In the short amount of time she spent traveling with Solidad, Harley and Drew, she was fully able to recognize that he was simply an arrogant prick who treated everyone badly, even those who were supposed to be his friend. Plus, there was the fat that he was always trying to get into her pants...

And while she greatly disliked Drew during these times, she'd come to despise him even more after Ash was gone.

May still vividly remembered Drew showing up at the wake, smiling that same arrogant smile as always, like nothing had even happened. She remembered him seeking her out while she was alone in Ash's room, sobbing.

Drew tried to comfort her, but May wouldn't allow him to. She knew his play. She knew he didn't actually care, about her or Ash's death. He was just so used to getting everything he wanted, and she was simply the one thing he couldn't have, which was what made her so desirable to him.

May felt sick to her stomach as she remembered Drew bluntly suggesting that they have sex, saying that it would take her mind off of things and make her feel better. Even in her entirely broken state, May still had the wherewithal to smack Drew in the face and throw him out of the room.

The next time she saw Drew, his face was bruised up and he had cuts all over. She eventually discovered that Paul and Gary had found out what he'd said and had beaten the crap out of him. As sadistic as it was, May was immensely glad that they'd done this.

Once she closed the blinds, May began making her way back to her spot on the couch. But before she could get very far, she heard Drew's voice coming through the window.

"Come on, May. Let me in. I just want to talk to you, is that so bad?" Drew questioned rhetorically.

His voice was like nails on a chalkboard to May, the slimy overconfidence he had being painfully apparent in his tone every time he opened his mouth.

May didn't stop at Drew's words. Instead, she just shook her head and reclaimed her spot on the couch. Though as soon as she'd sat down, she heard a knocking at the door.

Knowing full well that it was Drew, May just ignored it and turned on the television, hoping that the sound would drown out his annoyingly persistent knocking.

"May, let me in." Even with the TV being turned up all the way, May could still hear his voice. "I'm not going to leave unless you talk to me."

May was furious at this point. She knew full well that Drew would make good on his word of not leaving until she acknowledged him. Why couldn't he just get it through his thick skull that she wanted _nothing_ to do with him?

Trying to force back some of the anger she was feeling so that she wouldn't attack Drew on sight, May stood up and approached the front door, hoping that she would be able to get him to leave quickly; if he stayed for too long, she wasn't sure that she'd be able to hold herself back from hitting him. Ash followed closely behind, planning to watch the scene unfold.

With a long sigh, May undid the lock and opened the door.

Drew smiled arrogantly and flicked his hair when he saw May. "I knew you couldn't resist me."

After he said this, Drew tried to take a step into the house, only to have May get in his way. There was no way in hell she was going to let him enter her home. Drew appeared confused until he met May's gaze and saw the terrifyingly angry look on her face.

Though, his confidence never faltered as he simply decided to just talk to her out her on the porch and not push his luck.

"What do you want, Drew?' May started, barely being able to control her anger. "You know that I despise you, so why are you here?"

Even in the face of her harsh words, Drew never lost his confidence. May didn't know if he just didn't care, or if he was legitimately too stupid to realize that she meant everything she was saying to him.

Ash wanted nothing more than to punch Drew right in the face so that he could wipe that stupid little smirk off but of course, he couldn't. And while he couldn't do anything, he had complete faith that May would be able to get rid of him, and that was all he could hope for.

"Right..." The green haired man drew out the word, making it appear that he thought she was kidding, playing hard to get. This lead May to getting her answer, she supposed; it looked like he was really just that stupid. "Anyway, I heard your parents say something about a party tomorrow?"

May felt her anger flare up even higher. "Were you spying on me?!"

"No, I just heard you guys talking when I showed up, so I listened. Can't blame me for just being here." Drew spoke innocently.

"Actually, I can..." With that said, May went to close the door, only for Drew to put his foot in the door jam, preventing it from closing.

Sighing once more, May opened the door once again. "Just...what do you want, Drew?"

May sounded almost defeated. She knew that she just had to listen to whatever idiotic thing came out his mouth next before she could slam the door in his face and get away from him, so she bit the bullet and decided to do just that.

Flicking his hair once more, Drew spoke. "Well...I was wondering if you'd like to be my date for your party tomorrow. Being with me, you'll be the most envied girl there."

Ash became furious over Drew's proposal. While he doubted anyone could hate Drew as much as May did, Ash definitely came in a close second. He'd never treated May right and he did everything he could to undermine him whenever he was with her. And hearing him invite May, the woman he loved, on a date, made Ash feel a rage that only Drew could bring out of him.

May nearly gagged at Drew's overconfidence. If she was being completely honest, Drew just wasn't very attractive to her. He was only about 5'7, 'just an inch taller than May, and his face hadn't matured very much at all over the years. He thought much more highly of himself and his appearance than most others did.

While thinking about this, May couldn't help but picture Ash, comparing him to the coordinator. In May's, as well as most other people's minds, Ash was about as close to perfect as a guy could get in terms of appearance. He was tall, 6'4", she remembered him telling her when she'd asked when they'd first met up again. And where as Drew was scrawny, Ash had well developed and defined muscles that May had admittedly ogled over more than a few times throughout their travels. But of course, the most attractive thing about him was his personality, something that could never be said about Drew.

Breaking out of her thoughts, May just looked at Drew incredulously, a bit of anger also present on her face.

"No, Drew I don't want to be your date to anything... Ever. And you're not invited to this party. Everyone that's coming, much like myself, hates your guts." May shot aggressively at the man in front of her.

For the first time, Drew actually dropped the smile from his face as he registered the fact that he was rejected. He didn't say anything for a few moments, anger welling up inside of him.

"...It's because of Ketchum, isn't it?" Drew whispered just loud enough for May to hear.

Just hearing Drew say his name filled May with an anger unlike no other. May felt that someone like Drew didn't deserve to even say Ash's name.

Before May could say anything in response, Drew continued on angrily. "When are you gonna realize that he's gone!? What has it been, two years?! May, Ash is dead D-E-A-D, and he's never coming back. Get over it! I still have no idea what it was you saw in him... You know what? I'm glad that piece of shit Is dead! The world is better off without him!"

As soon as those last words left his mouth, May lost any and all composure she had left and kicked Drew directly in the groin. Immediately, he fell to the ground, crying out in agony. Once he was on the ground, May used her feet to push him off of her porch before storming back inside. Though, she had one more thing to say before she closed the door...

"Ash is the best person to have ever lived! And he's a million times the man than you are! You don't even deserve to say his name! I swear to god Drew, if I ever see you again, you're gong to wish you'd never been born!" May screamed at the man currently writhing in pain before slamming the door shut.

As Drew was overwhelmed by the agony he was currently experiencing, Ash was the only one able to notice the tone of May's voice. It was filled with so much malice, but also an intense amount of hurt and sadness.

Ash had been horrified by what Drew'd said and he was incredibly worried about how May was taking it. That being said, he was immensely happy and proud at how she'd reacted. If he couldn't hit Drew, than having May do so was the next best thing.

Instead of returning to her spot on the couch, May made a beeline up to her room, slamming the door behind her as she entered. She jumped into her bed, not even noticing that Glaceon and Pikachu had been asleep in the corner before she'd come in, and began sobbing.

Ash noticed quickly this, having already seen the beginnings of tears welling up in May's eyes as she ran right past him. Worried for the woman he loved so much, he rushed after her.

What Drew had said had hurt May tremendously. She wasn't oblivious, nor was she in denial. She knew better than anybody that Ash was gone. Though despite this, anytime someone would verbalize the fact that Ash was dead, May would feel just as she had the day she'd found out Ash was gone.

May was laying face down, her head smothered into a pillow as she sobbed wildly. How could Drew say those things? Even if he did hate Ash, there was no way that anyone could be so cold hearted.

Or so she thought.

May's mind didn't stay on Drew for long as just the mere thought of him was making her sick. Instead, her mind turned to where it was most of the time: to Ash Ketchum.

When she would be in a state like this, she'd always picture Ash's bright, goofy smile and deep brown eyes, two of her favorite things about him. She felt herself begin to calm down after almost five minutes had passed, Ash's look calming her as it usually did; sometimes however, picturing Ash would only serve to upset her further as she would realize she'd ever get to see his face in real life ever again. It was always a toss up on which reaction it was going to illicit.

"Pika?"

May heard Pikachu call to her from the side of her bed. Pulling her head from the pillow, she looked at the yellow pokemon, only to see him holding an outstretched paw with something in it.

May was confused until she got a good look at the item in Pikachu's paw. It was the one thing she held dearest to her heart.

Her half of the Terracotta Ribbon.

It still shined as brightly as the day herself and Ash had won it all those years ago. May made sure to keep it this way. Even before Ash'd passed, this was her most prized possession.

No matter what, no matter where they were, whether it be near, or far, herself and Ash would always be connected through this ribbon.

And even though Ash was gone, and his actual half of the ribbon was sitting on the desk in his room, May still felt the connection to him that this ribbon brought.

Ash smiled softly at the scene, immensely glad that Pikachu had decided to stay with May after his passing. He knew that his first pokemon took his death hard, but he still did his best to be there for May, knowing just how much Ash cared about her. And along the way, Pikachu had found love and comfort in Glaceon.

Ash watched on as May simply stared at the ribbon in her had. After a few moments, a sad smile spread across May's face. All the while, her eyes were still producing tears, though not as quickly as before.

Seeing that May wasn't going to be putting the ribbon away for a while, Ash rummaged around in his pocket, looking for something specific. As was stated, Ash's actual half of the Terracotta ribbon was in his room back in Pallet Town but because, like May, it was his most prized possession, he'd requested that Arceus give him a way to still carry it with him.

Because he couldn't physically hold anything, Arceus couldn't simply give him the ribbon. Instead, Arceus was able to take the essence of the ribbon, what it stood for, and form it into an exact replica of Ash's half of the ribbon that he could carry on his person. Ash had no idea how Arceus was able to do this, but he didn't question it. He was just glad that he still had something that connected himself to May.

Ash found the ribbon in his pocket quickly and pulled it out. Like May's, it was still in pristine condition which admittedly, was easier to upkeep when a literal god had been the one to create it for you.

Ash spent a few moments just staring at the ribbon, smiling at all of the memories it brought back to him. After a while, he looked back toward May, noticing that she still had her eyes locked on her half of the ribbon.

Ash noticed that the smile on May's face still hadn't faded. And while this was true, her eyes were still steadily producing tears. Ash could understand this, though. The Terracotta ribbon brought out so many wonderful memories and while they were amazing to relive, Ash was certain that it must also serve to remind May that they could never make new memories together.

Feeling the urge to do something, Ash approached the bed. Even though he would just pass right through them if should he have not, he still avoided the two pokemon seated on the floor by May's feet, which were hung over the side of the bed. Once he reached the bed, he took a seat directly next to May

For a few moments, Ash allowed himself to simply admire May's beauty. Even with tired eyes and tears staining her cheeks, to Ash, May was the most beautiful woman in the world. No one could ever compare in his eyes. Sure, he'd met many pretty girls during his travels, many of which were some of his closest friends, but May was just on another level to him. He just wished he would've told her that before he passed.

Shaking himself out of his trance like state, Ash proceeded to do what he'd approached May to do. With his half of the ribbon still in hand, he brought it up toward May's half, which she was still holding in front of her face.

Even though he would be the only one to see it, Ash moved the ribbons together until they were touching. The two halves came together perfectly, as if it'd never been split in the first place. The smile on Ash's face grew once the two ribbons connected while at the same time, tears began streaming down his cheeks.

When the two halves met, May felt an intense chill overcome her. And while a chill was typically, well, chilly, what May felt was more akin to warmth. She had no idea what'd caused it, but it was an immensely pleasant and comforting feeling, so she just went with it. She'd learned over these past couple of years to never let the few moments of comfort she got go to waste, as she knew they'd be gone as quickly as they came.

Ash kept the ribbons connected for a few more moments, only breaking away when a knock was heard on May's bedroom door.

The instant Ash's half retreated from her own, the warmth May was feeling faded. She was immensely disappointed that the feeling of comfort was gone, but she very much appreciated the time at which it had come.

May looked up at her door before speaking. "Come in."

With their daughter having granted them permission, both Norman and Caroline entered her room, concerned looks on their faces.

May forced a quick smile toward her parents, hoping to reassure them a bit. It managed to work, but only slightly. It was so sad to say but because she'd been faking smiles for so long, it was hard to tell which were real and which were not. Either way, the two parents still wanted to help their daughter.

"Are you okay, honey?" Caroline started, taking a seat where Ash had been previously; he'd moved off to the side once Norman and Caroline entered the room. "We heard a lot of commotion coming from the front door, and then your door slam. And when we got closer, we heard you crying. Please, tell us what happened."

May was glad that her parents still adhered to the request she'd made almost a year and a half ago. Sometimes, May just wanted to be alone while she cry. There didn't always have to be a reason, but whenever May would begin sobbing, she just wanted to be alone so that she could let it all out. When she was in the middle of one of her 'fits', she didn't want anyone telling her that it was going to be alright or that she would be okay. During those times, she just wanted to let everything out. And while she appreciated the care her parents showed her, they always tried to help her too soon, before she was done crying.

Because of this, May had asked that whenever her parents would hear her crying and they wanted to help, they would wait until her sobs quieted down, an indicator that she was done, or almost done, crying.

When she lost control of her emotions, May just wanted to be alone to let everything out. And with how frequently this would happen over the past two years, establishing this rule seemed like the best idea to May.

Now that May had finished crying, and still had the Terracotta ribbon in her hand for comfort, May decided to let her parents know what'd happened.

"It was just Drew again...He wouldn't leave unless I talked to him. He overheard you guys telling me about the party tomorrow night and asked me to be his date. Can you believe that!? After all he's said and done, he expects me to _like_ him at all, let alone in that way? I just don't get it..." May vented, not knowing how Drew still hadn't gotten the hint that she didn't want anything to do with him. At least he'd stopped with the stupid roses.

Both Caroline and Norman felt themselves become angry when May mentioned the green haired boy's name. May had told her parents pretty much everything he'd ever said and done, and they despised him for what he would do and say to both May and Ash. That being said, this had happened before: Drew coming over and asking May on a date. Though, May'd never quite reacted like this.

"Why did you react so strongly this time? I mean, he has tried to ask you out before, right?" Norman questioned, seated on the other side of May on the bed.

May had a feeling that telling her parents what Drew had said would make her break down once again, but she felt that they deserved to know; maybe if they knew, they might actually be able to help in someway. Maybe. And so, she began speaking, her eyes locked on the beautiful halved ribbon in her hand.

"This time Drew, he...he said some things...about Ash." Just saying these words was difficult for May, but she willed herself to continue. "He thought it was because of my feelings for Ash that I keep rejecting him. H-He told me that I had to realize that Ash was gone and that I should just get over it. Then he said...that he was glad that Ash was dead. That the world was better off without him."

As she said these last two sentences, May began crying once again, with her emotion becoming evident in her voice.

Norman and Caroline became even more furious at Drew for what he'd said. Not only had he hurt May by saying what he did, he'd also disrespected Ash. Over the years, Ash had become like family to the Maple's and they all loved him dearly. Hearing anyone sully his name would not be tolerated in this house.

Norman shot to his feet, a terrifyingly angry look on his face. "That son of a bitch. He's probably at the Pokemon Center, right? I'm gonna find that little punk and kick his scrawny ass!"

"Honey, you know you can't do that." Caroline tried to reason with her husband, even though she did wish a good beating would come the green haired boy's way soon.

"Why not, Caroline? He hurt May! He made her cry! She's upset enough without someone making it worse! Plus, he talked badly about Ash, and that is not something I will allow. " Norman rebutted, just itching to get at the male coordinator

"An arrest won't look very good n the record of a Gym Leader. Don't risk everything just for that idiot. He's not worth it." Caroline said, hoping that these words would convince him.

Norman was sill fuming as he processed his wife's words. After a few moments passed, he let out a long sigh and reclaimed his seat on the bed, slowly calming himself down.

"You're right, he's not worth anything, especially my attention. I wasn't thinking straight. Thanks, Caroline." Norman spoke regretfully before thanking his wife.

Caroline smiled warmly at her husband, hoping to raise his spirits. "It's okay, honey. Honestly, I'd like to get a piece of that jerk myself."

Caroline's words caused Norman to laugh, and even earned a slight giggle from May, who's tears weren't coming as quickly as they had been a few minutes ago. She even found it in herself to speak, wanting to share one very important piece of information with her parents.

"Actually, I did get a bit of retribution. After he said those things, I snapped and kicked him in the...private area." May stated, her voice still slightly shaky as the emotions she was feeling hadn't completely gone away, they had only lessened for the moment.

Both Norman and Caroline chuckled at their daughter's words. Norman even went as far as to proudly slap a hand on May's shoulder. "That's my girl!'

This earned another small, momentary smile from May, a very welcoming sight to all. Though, May's face fell once again as a silence overtook the room. May took to staring at her half of the Terracotta ribbon in her hand once again, with her parents doing the same.

They knew just how important this ribbon was to May as it symbolized everything about her and Ash's relationship.

Both Norm and and Caroline truly believed that Ash and May were soul mates, that they completed each other...

Two halves of a whole.

And both parents knew perfectly well that May thought this to be the case as well. And as she'd said, she would never love anyone else like she did Ash, something that worried both Norman and Caroline immensely. It wouldn't have concerned them so much if they didn't know just how much May meant what she'd said. They wanted so much for May to move on from Ash, but they knew deep in their hearts that doing so was never going to happen. Not for May.

As the silence continued to linger, May felt more tears welling up in her eyes as dozens of thoughts ran through her head. This would sometimes happen when May would look at something that reminded her of Ash, even her prized ribbon. Sometimes, it would comfort her and make her happy. But other times, it would only serve to remind her that Ash was gone, that she would never see him again. It was always a toss up as to which she would experience.

And at the moment, it was the latter.

Norman and Caroline looked up from the ribbon in May's hand when they heard their daughter sniffle. Though, they didn't even have to look to know that she was crying again.

Seeing both of her parents staring at her with concern in their eyes, May just barely managed out a few words before her emotions stole her ability to speak.

"I miss him so much..."

With that said, May broke down and began sobbing. Immediately, Caroline embraced her daughter, allowing her to cry on her shoulder. She shared a sad look with Norman as she did everything she could to comfort May.

Pikachu and Glaceon could only look on in sadness, with the former beginning to cry as well. Noticing this, Glaceon moved closer to Pikachu and cuddled up to him, allowing him to lean on her for support.

Caroline was running a hand through her daughter's currently bandana-less hair, hoping that it was helping to calm her down in some way. "I know, sweetie. I know. We all do. We all miss him very, very much."

Caroline felt tears begin to fall from her own eyes as she was hit with the sadness of not only Ash's death, but also her daughter's depression; sometimes, it was just too much for her to bear

Even Norman felt hot tears begin to form in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Right now, someone had to stay strong, and he would gladly take that responsibility so that Caroline didn't have to. With that in mind, Norman simply joined in on the hug.

When May muttered those few words and began sobbing, Ash's heart broke for what felt like the millionth time. He was just so despondent, so frustrated. Why did he have to die? Why him!? He was supposed to be important to the world, he was supposed to be the one who kept the balance. And he knew this to be true as since he'd been gone, the balance of the world had been slightly out of whack as he'd been told by Arceus. And everyday, that balance was shifting more and more. And though it was by a small margin, it would surely soon begin to add up.

Ash was supposed to be the one who helped the legendary pokemon. To make sure that they could do their jobs and keep the world right. Ad without him there, some things were going wrong. Slowly but surely, the balance was shifting in a bad way.

Ash once again found himself frustrated over the fact that he was right there, in May's presence and yet, she couldn't see or hear him.

Event though he knew nothing would come of it, Ash yelled out as loud as he could. "May! I'm here! I'm right here!"

Ash'd tried this dozens of times over the years, even despite knowing that it would never work. No one could hear him, not even the person he loved, the person with whom he had the deepest connection with.

After realizing what he already knew, Ash began crying as well. He was so sad, so angry at himself for letting himself die. How could he do that to May?! To any of his friends!? Ash knew these thoughts were completely irrational, but he just couldn't help but think them sometimes.

With nothing else he could think to do, Ash approached the family and did his best to join in on the hug. He couldn't actually touch them, but he got as close as he could without going through them. And while none of the three could feel him, they could've sworn that the embrace did become just the slightest bit warmer.

They stayed in this position for almost an hour, just allowing May and Caroline, to let out their emotions.

During this whole time, Norman had been muttering reassuring words to the two women in his life, hoping that they were helping somehow.

Even as May began to slow her cries, with Caroline having stopped all together a while ago, Norman still continued speaking. "It'll be okay. Everything is going to be fine. You're gonna get past this. You're gonna be okay."

For the first time in almost an hour, Norman got a response to his words. "You keep saying that..."

Once they heard May speak, the two parents pulled away from her. Her face showed more than just sadness at the moment. She now held an expression of defeat as well.

"...You keep saying that I'm gonna be alright, that I'm gonna get through this. But I'm not." May stated this as fact, shaking her head. "I'm never going to be okay again. I'm never going to get past this. And everything is not going to be fine. The single most important person in my life is dead. The person that I was supposed to grow old with...he's gone...This isn't me being overdramatic, and I'm not saying this as some kind of 'cry for help', it just is what it is. I've said it before, but I don''t think you guys ever really believed me. But I want you to know, I promise you, this is something that I'm never going to get past. I'm never going to get better. And it's not either of your guys' fault. This is just how it is. My life ended the moment that Ash's did."

May's words hit her parents hard. Like May'd said, she'd told her parents these things before and while she never seemed like she was lying, Norman and Caroline still had faith that May would eventually get better, that she would eventually be happy once again.

But after hearing her say this here, now, any faith her parents still had in this idea was almost entirely wiped away. They knew it was true. In the back of their minds, they always had, the thought was just too horrible to admit. Losing Ash was going to haunt their daughter forever, and there was nothing they could do to help her.

Having no idea what to say, both of May's parents simply embraced her once again, though this time, it was not for nearly as long. After a few moments, the two parents decided that all they could do was keep trying to do everything they could to help May be happy. Now, their goal was going to be to prove May wrong...

To prove to her that there _is_ life after this.

And they were going to start that plan with the party.

They desperately hoped that having all of her friends together would make May happy, if only for a while. They also knew that many of Ash's other friends weren't doing very well either, so they hoped this would help them too.

After a few moments, the two parents broke apart and stood up before they turned to face their daughter.

"Just know this, May: we love you more than anything, and we want nothing more than for you to be happy again. So we're going to keep doing everything we can to do just that. But please, just always remember that we love you." Norman said, speaking for both himself and Caroline.

May nodded her head, feeling the immense amount of love her parents had for her. She appreciated their care for her more than they knew. Without them, she was sure that she would've gone completely insane by this point. And plus if she didn't have other people to live for, May wasn't sure what she would do...

With that said, her parents left the room, telling May to come get them if she needed anything. Once they were out the door, May looked at the clock on her bedside table, seeing that it was nearing 9:00pm. They'd been in here longer than she'd thought.

May then turned her attention to the two pokemon currently inhabiting the small pokemon bed set up in the corner of the room.

She quickly noticed that both Glaceon and Pikachu were asleep once again, cuddled up close together. May was incredibly happy that Ash had managed to save Pikachu, as well as all of his other pokemon. Because he'd managed to do this, Glaceon didn't have to go through the same pain that she was...

...the pain of losing the one you love.

And while she was glad that it'd worked out for Glaceon, May's heart still ached. She wished so dearly that at the very least, Ash would've known that she loved him more than anything else in the world, that he was the single most important thing in her life.

What May didn't know, of course, was that Ash _did_ know that she loved him. That was part of what made it so hard for him. He faced the same predicament that May did\; he wanted May to know that he loved her too, that she was the most important thing in _his_ life.

But of course, that couldn't happen. Fate just had other plans, it seemed.

Cruel, cruel fate...

Ash sat in the corner of the room, near the two pokemon, wishing desperately that he could pet Pikachu right behind his ears, just as he liked. But because he couldn't do that, he simply sat there, defeated. It was just one of those days where there was nothing good to be found.

May was extremely tired from all of the emotional stress she'd experienced throughout the day; she was almost always tired as this stress never seemed to go away. With this in mind, May went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She then turned off the light before she laid down flat on her bed, not even bothering to change out of her clothes, and pulled the covers up over her.

And while she was tired, May knew that she would more than likely have trouble falling asleep. I was a toss up most nights. Sometimes, no matter how tired she was, her thoughts would keep her awake for hours. But other nights, she'd be so physically exhausted, that her body would nearly shut itself down as it desperately needed to recharge. This day definitely seemed to be the former.

Normally when May, or any of his friends, would turn in for the night, Ash would leave and return to 'heaven', where an exact replica of his old house had been created for him to exist in. But on this night, Ash didn't leave right away for some reason. He really just wanted to be with May for a while longer.

It wasn't long before Ash could hear her sniffling, telling him that May was crying once again. Ash was just glad that she wasn't sobbing at the moment and was only crying some.

At the moment, May was wanting Ash back more than normal, which was saying something considering just how badly she wanted him back every second of everyday. It was because of this that May decided to do something she hadn't in quite a while.

"Arceus...God...whoever's up there...please, I am begging you, bring Ash back to me." May started, her voice full of desperation. "I don't know how you can do that, but I don't care as long as Ash is with me again. I mean, you created everything, so bringing someone back to life should be easy, right? And it is Christmas, so I guess I should ask Santa to bring Ash back too."

As much as what May'd said in her last sentence would normally be construed as a joke, she seemed to be completely serious; she simply had no options left and was willing to try, to believe, in anything.

"...I need him. I can't keep living like this. I would give anything to be with him again. Even if it's only for just one night...Please, just bring him back. Please." May whimpered, the tone of her voice stinging Ash's heart.

With May having said what she wanted to, she stopped speaking and eventually, cried herself to sleep.

All the while, Ash was still in the room, his mind running a mile a minute. He couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't see May like this for another second. He hadn't tried since the first day he'd been killed, but Ash was going to do it.

He was going to talk to Arceus.

He was going to beg him to bring him back to life.

And even though he knew that this was a long shot, he just had to try.

He had to do this for himself, but more importantly...

For May.

* * *

 **A/N: There's chapter 2. And as I've received some comments about this, I will say that I already have the whole story done. It's five chapters long and it'll all be posted soon. I really do want to continue my other stories and I will, inspiration just struck me really hard with this one.**

 **So there's Drew. In case you couldn't tell, I'm not a fan of his. I hope none of you mind a bit of Drew bashing. And May is not getting better, and a big part of that is because she never got closure (though even if she did, she'd more than likely be acting the same way). So even after being told he couldn't be brought back to life two years before, he's going to ask Arceus again. Will there be circumstances that allow this to happen? WE'll just have to wait and see.**

 **See ya!**


	3. I Have To

**A/N: Here's chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

" _It is hard. Harder than I thought anything could ever be. But we can't just forget, even I know that. That's why I brought the hat. Even though it hurts so badly, Ash deserves for his memory to live on in us."_

 _-Delia Ketchum_

* * *

One More Night

Most people didn't have access to speak to Arceus whenever they wanted, but Ash was a special case. After all, he had saved him at one time during his travels and of course, he was Arceus' chosen one. Because of this, Ash pretty much had an open invitation to go and see Arceus in the Hall of Origins at any time.

The only condition was that he had to let someone specific know first so that they could bring him there. And so, Ash closed his eyes and thought of the place he intended to go. Once he opened his eyes again, he was exactly where his mind had pictured.

Inside the Tree of Beginning.

Ash could appear inside of the tree only because it knew that it meant it no harm after what he'd done to save it all those years ago. This was why he didn't have to worry about the guardians of the tree coming after him.

While he was now inside of the tree, he still had to find Mew, something that was easier said than done. Mew could be anywhere, doing anything, and she may even be in the form of another pokemon at the moment.

With no other way to find her, Ash yelled out. "Mew!"

Ash waited a few moments, hoping that his yell had reached the small pokemon through the expanse of the tree. About 20 seconds later, Mew appeared in front of Ash, cooing happily and flying around him.

Ash smiled and laughed at the cheery pokemon's antics. Mew had always liked Ash a lot, so a visit from him would forever be welcomed.

Mew then proceeded to fly into Ash's arms. Ash had learned during his first encounter with Mew after his death that she was one of the only things that he could physically touch while in his 'viewing state' on Earth. He'd asked Arceus about this and he'd said that it was because Mew was a legendary pokemon, and the legendary pokemon existed on a number of different planes, including the one Ash was currently on.

Ash rubbed Mew behind the ears for a few moments, with the pink pokemon vocalizing her approval.

"Hey, Mew. It's good to see you again!" Ash said to the pokemon in his arms, earning a nod in response. "And while I am glad to see you, I am here for something. I need you to take me to Arceus."

Mew flew out of Ash's arms after what he'd said and nodded, knowing that Ash was allowed to see Arceus whenever he wanted, within reason of course.

Ash smiled at the pink pokemon. "Thank you, Mew. I really appreciate it."

Mew cooed happily in response before closing her eyes and concentrating. Ash followed her lead, closing his eyes as well and waiting to be teleported. It wasn't but a few seconds later that the two appeared inside of the Hall of Origin.

Ash looked around, taking in just how grand the place was. Even after seeing it a number of times, its sheer size and beautiful appearance still surprised him.

Ash then looked toward the large doors just down the hall, knowing that Arceus would be behind them.

Before he began walking toward the doors, Ash turned to Mew one more. "Thank you, Mew. I'll see you again soon, alright?"

Mew allowed a happy expression to overtake her features as she flew around Ash a few more times. She then nuzzled her face up against Ash, making the young man laugh, before she teleported away.

Ash looked at where Mew just was moments ago, still smiling. He always liked visiting Mew as her constant state of happiness brought Ash some happiness of his own, something that was hard to come by for him these days.

With Mew now gone, Ash turned his attention back toward the large doors. He then started walking toward them, determined to talk to Arceus as soon as possible. Once he reached them, he knocked a few times.

"Come in." Ash heard a deep, commanding voice that he recognized belonged to Arceus through the doors.

With his request to enter granted, Ash swung the immense doors open.

Ash laid eyes on Arceus immediately, noticing he was currently seated. The God had been looking at the door when it opened, curious as to who it was that had come to see him. When he saw that it was Ash, Arceus allowed a small smile to form on his face.

"Ah, Ash. It's good to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Arceus questioned.

It was rare that anyone would come to see him just to visit, though Ash had done just that a few times before, which he very much appreciated. That being said, Arceus could sense that Ash had another reason for being here this time.

Ash knelt down, bowing to the God pokemon before regaining his footing. "Arceus, it's good to see you as well. I'm here to make a request, to ask something of you."

Arceus tilted his head, curious as to what the request would be. He then nodded his head. "Alright. What is it?"

Arceus was more than happy to help Ash in just about any way he could. Just because he was dead didn't mean that he wasn't still his chosen one. He held a high level of respect for the man in front of him, which was saying something coming from a God.

Ash took a moment to gather his thought before speaking. "As you know, everyday, I go to watch over my friends and family. Watching them without being able to interact with them is often painful, but it allows me to remain feeling close to them. But lately, that pain is becoming too much to bear. My friends aren't getting better, they're still consumed the grief my death caused, May especially."

Ash had actually once told Arceus about his love for the beautiful brunette, even tough he'd already known about it; he was a God after all. Arceus knew of all of Ash's friends by name as he'd told him about all of them at some point during one of his visits. And Arceus didn't even have to hear Ash's stories about them to know that they were good people.

"So, are you saying that you want me to take away your ability to watch over them?" Arceus inquired, wondering if this was his request.

"No," Ash responded quickly, never wanting to lose that privilege. "It's just...I still have things that I need to say to May. She needs closure. And in a way, I think I need closure as well."

"So this is my request: would you please allow me to physically return to Earth so that I can talk to May. Even if it's just for one night, that's okay. I just need to tell her a few things. I have to." Ash finished, desperately hoping that Arceus would grant this wish of his; his tone f voice clearly showed how much he wanted this.

Arceus sighed as he processed Ash's request. It wasn't a matter of if he could do it, he could without issue, but it was more a matter of _if_ he should do it. Arceus did not often meddle in the affairs of fate. But then again, this was Ash, the man who'd done so much for not only him, but the entire world.

"You know that I don't like getting involved with matters of fate." Arceus reminded the young man, stalling so that he could think for a while longer.

Ash sturdy face never faltered. "I know, Arceus. But even still, I'm asking you to do this for me. May can't keep living like she is. If I can talk to her just one more time, I think I can get her to begin moving on."

Arceus did't respond for a while, still lost in thought. Ash waited patiently, becoming more worried as the seconds ticked by. After a while, tears began welling up in his eyes.

"Please, Arceus...I love her, and I never got to tell her...I'm begging you...please, do this for me." Ash pleaded with the God pokemon.

Arceus thought for a few more seconds, finally coming to a conclusion. He let out a long sigh before speaking.

"...Okay. I will grant your request." Arceus informed his chosen one, who lit up at the revelation.

"R-Really?" Ash asked, having known that this was a long shot from the beginning.

Arceus smiled at the disbelief on Ash's face. "Yes. Really. I don't believe that one night will effect anything negatively."

Part of Arceus' reasoning behind granting Ash his request was because he knew that the world was slowly but surely slipping out of balance. Without a chosen one to keep everything together, this was bound to happen. And it wasn't as simple as picking a new chosen one. It didn't work like that. The chosen one of each generation was destined to be so long before their birth. Arceus just hoped that having Ash back on Earth, if only for one night, would help to realign the world. Plus, this was a good way to test the waters for something on his mind...

"I'll allow you to go to Earth tomorrow night at 9pm. There are a few things I should note, however," Arceus told Ash, who nodded and listened closely. "First off, only May Maple will be able to see and hear you. I don't want to add any unnecessary risk by having a lot of people know that you're back. Second, as soon as the sun rises on the 25th, you will return here. But that should give you plenty of time to tell her all that you want to say."

Ash was actually crying tears of joy at the news. He was going to get to see May again. He'd never felt such elation. Even if it was only one night, he was going to be with May again, and that was all that mattered. He could finally tell her how he felt about her.

Ash knelt down once again, bowing to the God. "Thank you, Arceus. This means more to me than you know. I'm eternally grateful to you."

Arceus smiled at the pure joy Ash was experiencing, happy that he was able do this for his chosen one.

"You're welcome, Ash. After everything you've been through, I think you deserve this." Arceus told Ash, whom nodded gratefully in response. "Now, why don't you return home. I have something very important I must attend to."

Ash nodded and thanked the deity once again before closing his eyes and disappearing, his destination being the replica of his home that was situated in 'heaven', just beyond the Hall of Origin.

Arceus stared at the spot his chosen one had been in just moments before, his mind working in overdrive. The important thing he'd mentioned wasn't so much something he needed to do, but more something he needed to think about. Something massive and incredibly important not just to him and a few other people, but the whole world. He was going to have to make a decision very soon and he needed to go through all possible outcomes, weigh the conceivable positives and negatives, before he could do that.

May tried to resist waking up, wanting so desperately to remain asleep. Her dreams were the only place she could be with Ash, and she never wanted to leave.

But as always, she was unable to return to sleep. Knowing that it was futile to try any longer, May sighed sadly and sat up in bed. She then looked to her bedside clock, noticing that it was 11:30am.

May was surprised that she'd slept so late, but she supposed she needed it; yesterday had been an especially emotional day. Though, it seemed that she'd have these 'bad days' at least a couple times throughout the week, so she really shouldn't have been surprised by her waking up late anymore.

Remembering that the party was tonight, May actually felt a bit of excitement build up inside of her. As much as it would most likely hurt at some point to see all of her, all of Ash's friends, in one place, she still wanted to spend time with them. She really missed Dawn, Cynthia, Serena and Brock especially as they were her closest friends.

May then recalled what her mother had said the day before, that her friends and their families would being to arrive at the docks at around 3pm, which gave her ample time to get ready.

Deciding she would shower and get ready for the day in just a bit, May went downstairs, her stomach rumbling. While her infamous appetite had faded quite a lot since Ash's death, she still needed to eat. Her intense love for food simply wasn't there anymore.

As May entered the kitchen, she noticed her mother working hard at the stove, cooking a slurry of different things. The center island in the middle of the kitchen was completely covered in foods and snacks of all kinds. It was more food than May had ever seen in her house at once.

Though, it made sense, May supposed. There were quite a lot of people coming to stay with them, so feeding them would certainly be a challenge each day. And plus, it was Christmas Eve, so Caroline was going all out with her cooking.

Caroline noticed that May'd entered the kitchen a few moments later. Once she saw her, she smiled brightly, pausing what she was doing momentarily.

"Hey, honey! Merry Christmas Eve!" Caroline spoke in a sweet tone.

May forced out a momentary smile, slightly overwhelmed by her mother's upbeat-ness as she was still slightly tired.

"Merry Christmas Eve to you too, Mom. Hard at work I see." May motioned around the room at all the food.

Caroline chuckled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I might have gone a bit over board. But hey, there are a lot of people coming. And plus, I wont be cooking again for a while as me and the other mothers, as well as Brock, Tracey and Cilan, have worked out a schedule of who's cooking on what day during their stay here."

May nodded her head in understanding. Surely having to cook this much food everyday for over a week would overwhelm any one person. But with help from others, it would certainly be much easier.

Suddenly, a question popped into May's mind. She hoped her mother would have an answer. "Hey, mom? Where is everybody going to be sleeping? I know we have a couple of extra guest rooms, but there must be a dozen people coming."

Understanding her daughter's confusion, Caroline responded. "Well, they would normally just stay in the nearby Pokemon Center but because it's so close to Christmas, there are no rooms available until after the new year. So we're setting up the gym so that everyone can sleep comfortably out there. We called Professor Birch and he had a bunch of unused cots, so everything should be just fine. We're also gonna be eating in the gym as it's the only place we can place enough tables to fit everybody. You're father and Max are actually out in the gym right now setting everything up. "

May nodded her, accepting the explanation. She was glad that her parents had worked out a way for everyone to stay here comfortably.

Caroline went back to stirring something on one of the burners as she addressed May once again. "So, are you excited for everyone to get here?"

May actually felt a genuine smile form on her face for a few moments. "Actually, I am. It'll be great to see everyone again."

Even though May seemed positive about what was to come, Caroline was still extremely worried that having all of these links to Ash around would set her off in the worst way. With that in mind, Caroline paused her stirring and approached her daughter.

"May." Caroline started, softly, but firmly. "If at any point, it become too much for you or you start to get overwhelmed, just tell me and I'll be there to help you. Okay?"

May was surprised by the drastic shift in tone in her mother's voice; she was nothing but bubbly and excited before but now, she was very calm and stern, yet still compassionate. May nodded her head, not knowing what to say in response.

Of course, this was a fear that May'd had as well. The only reason any of the people that were coming were friends in the first place was because of Ash. And because everyone had a connection with Ash, May was worried that she would become overwhelmed and crumble emotionally.

"Okay, good." With that said, the joyous smile returned to Caroline's face as she went back tot he stove and resumed stirring.

"Do I need to pick anyone up from the docks once they get here?" May inquired, grabbing and munching on a piece of toast that her mother must've laid out for her..

"Nope. The docks are pretty close and I've given everyone directions, so they should be able to get here on their own." Caroline informed her daughter.

May was glad she wouldn't have to keep going back and forth between the docks and her home in order to pick up everyone that was coming.

With nothing else to do until people would begin arriving, May finished the piece of toast and entered the living room before turning on the television. She really had no desire to watch anything, she simply wanted some background noise as she thought and daydreamed. For the next few hours, May allowed herself to simply lose herself in her mind.

…

…

It was 3:15pm when the doorbell first rang. May had still been in her position on the couch and had been so caught up in a daydream that the loud ringing of the bell had actually startled her.

After she'd been snapped out of her daydream, May stood up to go answer the door. During the walk, she silently wondered who the first person to arrive would be. She didn't have to wait long to find out as she reached the door after just a few seconds and swung it open.

Standing on the other side was a tall, tan skinned man with squinted eyes.

"Brock." May said happily, a smile on her face.

Before Brock could say anything in response, May shot forward and hugged her friend. Brock returned it immediately as a wide smile of his own spread across his face.

"Hey there, May. It's great to see you again." Brock spoke sincerely just before the two separated. May then motioned for Brock to enter.

Once they did, they saw that Max had entered the room and had ran up to give Brock a hug.

"Hey, Max. It's good to see you too." Brock greeted the younger boy.

May's parents then appeared and Brock said his hellos to them as well.

"Hey, Brock?" May started. "Did you not bring your parents or your siblings."

Brock smiled at May's question before responding. "No. That'd be just way too much having all of them here. Besides, they're much happier at home with Mom and Dad."

"And they don't mind you leaving for Christmas?" May asked.

Brock shrugged in response. "It's not the first time I haven't been home for Christmas. I know that you've probably missed a Christmas or two when you were still traveling too."

May nodded her head in understanding. She'd always try to return home when Christmas was coming up, but that wasn't always possible. That being said, it'd only happened twice over her long career as she really loved being with her family during the holidays.

Brock looked around the room before his eyes fell back onto May "So, am I the first one here?"

Just as May nodded, the doorbell rang once again. May strutted over the door so that she could let whomever was on the other side into her home.

May was happy to see both Serena and Dawn standing on the porch, with both of their mothers standing behind them.

While normally when May, Dawn and Serena would first see each other after a while, there would be squeals of excitement and happiness. But ever since Ash's passing, something in the three girls had changed, a flame had been extinguished. Their personalities were just dulled in a way.

That being said, May still did share a smile with her two closest female friends as they greeted and hugged each other.

"It's great to see you guys." May told her friends.

"Its great to see you too, May" Dawn said back sweetly.

"Yeah, I'm really glad that your mom invited us to spend Christmas here." Serena added.

May then greeted the two parents before she allowed them to enter.

Grace, Johanna and Caroline instantly congregated and said their greetings, with Norman and Max doing the same.

Serena and Dawn saw Brock just as they walked in, both of them smiling once they saw him. They both took turns giving him a hug before they greeted May's parents and brother.

Just then, as May had accidentally left the door open, a figure entered the home and knocked on the ajar door. Everyone turned there eyes toward the source of the noise only to find the ex-Sinnoh champion now standing inside the house.

Once again, everyone gave their greetings much like they had before.

"It's been too long, May." Cynthia said whilst hugging her best friend.

"Yeah, it has. I'm sorry for that." May apologized sincerely.

Though, it hadn't entirely been her fault that they hadn't seen each other more over the past couple of years. It was their grief and sadness that kept them rooted at home, having no real desire to go anywhere else. This was something felt by all of Ash's friends. This was what lead to Cynthia waving off may's apology.

"The next people won't be coming in for about an hour just so you all know." Caroline informed the group of friends, having known the traveling schedules of everyone that was coming.

They all nodded before Caroline left the room, with Johanna and Grace following close behind. They were then followed by Norman and Max.

"Do you guys want to go sit on the deck in the back?" May inquired, thinking that this would be a good idea as it was so nice outside at the moment.

May received a nod from all of her friends before she lead them to the backyard of the house. Once they arrived, they all took a seat around a large patio table, enjoying the comfortable breeze currently blowing past them.

Because Hoenn is a more tropical region, the weather stayed relatively the same year round, even during the winter months. This would mean no white Christmas, but May and her friends liked it better this way.

Even though the five currently seated around the table were incredibly close friends, it quickly became clear that no one knew where to start their conversation or what to even talk about. There was an elephant in the room, and they all knew it. They'd have to address it sometime, it was just no one knew how.

Biting the bullet, Brock decided to be the one to bring it up. "So...how have you guys been holding up? Have you gotten any better?"

Brock made sure to choose his words carefully, knowing that even after two years, Ash's death was still an incredibly sensitive topic; it still was even to him. That being said, Brock truly did want to know how his closest female friends were doing in this regard.

Of course, Brock had taken Ash's death extremely hard. Ash was a brother to Brock in all but blood. Losing Ash was like losing part of his family. And while he had managed to try and get back out there, having returned part time to his pokemon doctor private practice, Ash's death still haunted and affected him everyday.

There were two reactions that came from the four women. Serena and Dawn simply smiled brighter than before while May and Cynthia's faces dropped.

"I'm doing great, Brock?!" Dawn started, a little too enthusiastically.

Serena then chimed in, her voice also suspiciously energetic and overexcited. "Do you even need to ask that, Brock? I mean, we get to spend Christmas with all of our family and friends in one place. I-It's fantastic!"

While Serena was trying her best to sound overjoyed, everyone noticed the slight falter in her voice at the end of her speech.

Brock simply looked at the two women sympathetically, knowing the truth. Brock also made sure to shoot them a look that told them he knew what they were trying to do, and that it wasn't working.

After a few more moments of trying to keep up their facade, both Dawn and Serena let out a sigh and let their faces drop, much like May and Cynthia's had initially.

Dawn curled her hands into fists and placed them on her knees. "...It's still hard, Brock. Just as hard as it was the day it happened. So to answer your question...no...I haven't gotten better. Not at all..."

As soon as Dawn stopped, Serena chimed in. "It's been so long since it happened, but it still feels like just yesterday Ash was here. I...I just don't know how I'm supposed to get better when it still hurts this much...Some days are better than others, but none are ever 'good'. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do...how I'm supposed to move past this..."

Cynthia let out a dark half scoff, half laugh as she prepared to speak, garnering everyone's attention. The ex-champion shook her head in disbelief of herself before beginning.

"I actually forget sometimes..." Cynthia started., her voice low and sad. "Every once in a while, I forget that he's gone...We used to talk every week, every Monday. And sometimes, when Monday comes around, I find myself sitting by the phone...waiting for him to call. But of course, the phone never rings...I think Dawn said it best...it's still just as hard...still not any easier..."

Once Cynthia finished, a brief silence overtook the group of friends. Unintentionally, everyone's eyes fell on May as she the only person yet to speak. Her face was down, but they could still see that her expression was dark and sad, as well as the fact that her eyes were shimmering with tears.

May looked up for a moment, noticing that everyone was staring at her. She'd heard everyone else speak and clearly, they were expecting her to add to the conversation.

May steeled herself as best she could, took a long, deep breath, and looked up, preparing herself to say what was in her heart..

"...It's been two years now. I'm sure you guys didn't forget that the anniversary of what happened was just a few days ago." May stated, earning nods from everyone else, proving that they'd remembered it. After all, it was the worst day of the year for them all.

"...But even after all that time...even after two years...I'm still...completely destroyed. Everyday is a struggle. Nothing has gotten easier in the slightest. I have no motivation to do anything, and I know you guys can relate to that. Dawn, I know you tried entered a contest, but it didn't go well and you haven't ever since. And Serena, you haven't performed or entered a contest. Both of your journeys have come to a complete halt, and I know you don't have an plans of resuming them anytime soon" May said, indicating toward her two friends, who looked down in sadness as what was being said was very much true.

May then turned her attention to the oldest women in the group. "And Cynthia, I know you've said that you were going to start traveling again, but you haven't done that yet, have you? You've barely left your house in Sinnoh since you lost your title. And the guy that beat you, everyone knows that you could've beaten him, that you _should've_ beaten them, but what happened to Ash was still too fresh in your mind. With what you were going through, it was almost impossible for you to win..."

May then looked at her male friend."Brock, I don't know how you did it, but I commend you for being able to go back to your old life-"

Brock cut May off, feeling the need to correct the brunette. "I may have gone back to work, but I have _not_ returned to my old life. The life I knew before is gone, and it's never coming back. I waited over a year and a half before I went back to work because that was the first time I felt like I might actually be able to handle it. And the only reason I did return to my job was because I needed something to completely throw myself into. I just had to do _something_ to get my mind off of what happened, what I was feeling...But you're right...it's still just so hard"

Everyone took a moment to shoot Brock a sympathetic look as the usually sturdy man momentarily lost control of his emotion.

May nodded at Brock before she continued, looking at all of her friends seated around her. "What I'm trying to say is this: I completely understand what you guys are going through and why you haven't began to move on...because I haven't either. It's been almost eight months since I left my house. And since the accident, the only time I've left my house was to go visit Delia, and I've even been doing that less and less."

May paused for a moment, her emotions forming a lump in her throat which was making it hard to speak.

"...Everyone keeps telling me that things are going to get better...that I'll get past this and go on with my life...But that's just not gonna happen, not in the way they think it is. I know it and you know it. A part of us died with Ash, and the hole he left in our hearts can never be refilled. And I guess we're just going to have to accept that. But that's not what anyone wants to hear." May finished somberly.

May hated to bring the mood down so far, but she just felt the need to speak what was in her heart. And it wasn't like the others didn't know these things, they'd just yet to have them vocalized by another person.

Everyone sat in silence for a while, staring at nothing in particular. Tears had silently began falling down everyone's cheeks, but no one's facial expressions changed, nor was any kind of sound made.

That is, until May's finally spoke. "...I just miss him so much, you know?"

May's words were the catalyst that set the sobs into motion. While this was the scenario that May, as well as they others, had feared before coming together here, maybe this was what they needed. Maybe grieving together, and getting it out now, would help them in some way.

Dawn ran up to Brock and hugged him, crying into his chest. Serena then did the same. Following their lead, Cynthia approached May and embraced her tightly.

For as awful as they all felt, they were glad that they were in the presence of others who knew exactly what they were feeling.

The group of friends stayed like this for a while, but began to slow their sobs about 15 minutes later. Once the last of them had stopped crying, the five friends retook their seats and fell into another silence.

"I think we needed that." Cynthia said, sniffling and wiping her now red eyes.

"You're right. It's been so long since any of us have been with others who know exactly what we're going through." Dawn added.

"Plus, it's always good to be with friends, especially during the holidays. I really do think this trip is a good idea." Serena mentioned, hoping that she was right about this. She sniffled a few times as she also wiped her eyes.

As they others were speaking, Brock was thinking about something specific. He was wondering if he should share his thought, only to come to the conclusion that he should a few moments later.

"We can't just avoid talking about Ash for the rest of our stay." Brock started, waiting to see how all of the girls would react to his statement. "And besides, that's not what we should be doing anyway. We should be celebrating his life, all of the great times we had together, all the amazing things he did. And as you guys know, there are a million of those things."

Brock's words actually earned a smile from everyone. It quickly became clear that Brock was right. After all, Ash had been the one to bring them all together. There was simply no way they could just keep Ash from coming up in conversation. And the more they thought about it, the more they began to realize that they didn't want that anyway.

For the last two years, all any of them had been able to focus on was the fact that Ash was gone. They all realized that this was the perfect opportunity for them to focus on all of the amazing times they'd had with the raven haired man.

"Remember when Ash told us how he tried to catch his first pokemon with his jacket instead of a pokeball?" Serena questioned, a smile tugging a the corner of her lips.

"Or what about when that Mankey stole his hat and refused to give it back?" Brock added, now smiling himself.

"What about the time that Ash accidentally ate a tomato berry and talked with a lisp for a whole day?" May found it in herself to joke about her lost love, chuckling at the memory, along with everyone else.

At some point while they were swapping stories, Pikachu and Glaceon had come downstairs and joined them. Pikachu was incredibly happy to see all of his old friends again, and they were each equally excited to see him as well.

After greeting the pokemon, the group of friends went back to recounting tales of their travels with Ash. It seemed that there was a near infinite amount of things they could talk about. No one realized just how much Ash had been through during his travels.

As time passed, more and more people began to show up. First came Gary, his sister Daisy, Tracey and Professor Oak. Then Misty and her sisters. They were followed by Clemont, Bonnie and their father, Meyer. The latest to arrive were Paul and his brother Reggie, as well as Iris and Cilan.

Everyone was happy to see each other and while most of them initially had reservations about speaking about Ash, they all eventually got into the swing of things and managed to push their sadness to the back of their minds as they recounted all of the great times they'd had with Ash.

It was getting later, with it now being about 7:30pm, and the large group was only waiting for one more person.

Delia Ketchum.

They all knew of the rough shape Delia had been in since Ash's death. Ash was her only family, so losing him was like losing her own life. For as hard as it was for everyone else to lose Ash, no one could even imagine how hard it must've been to lose their own kid.

After all, no parent should ever have to bury their child.

But when the clock struck 7:45pm, the doorbell rang for what would be the final time of the night. Everyone immediately paused their conversations and looked toward the door. Caroline took it upon herself to let the person on the other side of the door into her home.

Slowly, Caroline opened the door, revealing Delia for all to see.

It'd been a while since any of them, save for Professor Oak and his grandchildren, as well as Tracey, had seen Delia in person, with no one having taken a trip to see her in a while. They all remembered her to be a breathtakingly beautiful woman who did not look her age at all.

But now, they noticed that her age was starting to show. She was still undeniably beautiful, but it was obvious that the stress of what'd happened had aged her faster than normal. Her hair had streaks of grey running through it and her eyes were clearly tired. She maybe had a wrinkle or two, but nothing too noticeable.

Delia forced a smile when she saw everyone was looking her way, becoming slightly uncomfortable with the silence and stares.

Luckily, Caroline broke the silence after just a few moments and brought the woman into a hug. "Delia, it's so amazing to see you. Thanks for coming!"

Delia kept up the half-forced smile and hugged Caroline back. "Thank you for having me. It'll be nice spending Christmas with someone again."

Delia hadn't meant for it, but her words stung the hearts of everyone present. Professor Oak had allows invited Delia to join them on Christmas day, but she'd refused for the past two years, which meant that Delia had spent the last two Christmases completely alone.

Caroline simply nodded and allowed her to enter. Delia was then approached by her friends Grace and Johanna, who said their hellos as well. It truly was good to see her out of the house as it had been quite a while. To say that everyone was worried about her would've been an understatement.

Once everyone else had said their greetings, Caroline addressed the room. "Why don't we go eat now? We have a huge table set up in the gym that should fit us all."

With everyone feeling at least a bit hungry, they followed the mother to the gym. Now that all the food was laid out on one big table, May thought that it looked like even more than it had that morning. This would've been a great things if she still had her old eating habits. And it would definitely be necessary if Ash was there...

May forced her mind off of that thought. She really didn't want to go down this road again on this night if she didn't have to. She was going to focus on staying happy and talking about nothing but good times.

The conversations happening around the dinner table were pretty menial. They didn't want to return to talking about Ash just yet as they weren't sure how Delia would handle it. They figured there would be plenty of time to do this later.

Dinner went off without a hitch and the gang congregated into the house at around 8:40pm. Conversations were still going on, but Delia had gone off to the side. She was currently steeling herself as she dug around in one of the bags she'd brought before pulling out a smaller bag. There was something she had to do. Something she had to show everybody.

After a few moments of preparing herself mentally, Delia yelled out. "Excuse me. Could I have everyone's attention please?"

Everyone went quiet when they heard Delia speak. Everyone was immensely curious as to what she had to say.

They were all packed into the Maple's large living room, so Delia made her way to the coffee table in the middle of all the couches, which were currently housing most of the younger members of the group.

Brock offered for Delia to take his spot on the couch, but she politely declined his offer. Instead, she simply kneeled on the side of the coffee table opposite everyone. All eyes were locked on the beautiful, emotionally worn woman as she placed a drawstring bag on the table.

Delia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before she began reaching inside of the bag. The way Delia was acting was worrying to everyone, but all they could do for the moment was wait and see what she was going to do.

They didn't have to wait long as just a few moments later, Delia pulled out an item that made everyone gasp.

Hands flew to cover their mouths and tears welled up in most everyone's eyes, though they were all doing a good enough job at controlling it to not let them fall as of yet.

No one could've expected what Delia had brought out.

A hat.

The hat Ash had been wearing when he went missing.

It was a larger version of the hat he'd worn in Hoenn. He was wearing this on his trip to see May as he thought it would be fitting. But whatever design the hat was, this was still shocking to everyone.

Nothing had been recovered from Ash except for his pokemon and his half of the Terracotta ribbon up to this point. So seeing another piece of him having reappearing was shocking to everyone.

Seeing everyone's reactions, and having tears of her own building up in her eyes, Delia began explaining how she'd come into possession of the hat.

"It washed up on shore in Hoenn a couple of months ago. When the police got word of it, they returned it to me. It was almost unrecognizable when I got it, but I managed to clean it and fix it up." Delia spoke whilst looking at her son's hat. She then looked up at the others in the room once again. "I just thought you all would like to know about this."

Most everyone appreciated Delia showing them and telling them about the hat as any and all information they had on Ash was welcome. No one was naive enough to think that this meant something other than what it was: a hat that washed up on a shore somewhere.

This wasn't some sign that Ash was still alive. After two years, that would be almost impossible. If anything, it really just proved what they already knew about what'd become of Ash...

May was seated in the middle of the couch most near the coffee table, directly in front of where the hat was placed. A million different thoughts popped into her head when she laid eyes on Ash's signature accessory.

Though instead of good things like they'd been talking about earlier, all May could see at the moment was Ash dying, forming a picture of different ways it might've happened in her mind. She pictured the life leaving his eyes, the fear on his face...

May felt herself beginning to lose it, and the others weren't far behind. Before she broke down completely May stood to her feet, catching everyone's attention.

"May, honey? Are you okay?" Norman questioned, incredibly worried about his daughter.

May didn't answer, or even react. Instead, she simply made a break for the back door, sobs already racking her body as she ran.

While many of the group's eyes were stuck on where May had just disappeared to, others were beginning to break down as well. Serena and Dawn started first, with Misty and Cynthia being close behind. Brock lost it, then Tracey, then Max. Even Gary shed a tear or two.

Something about seeing Ash's old hat brought out a lot of painful memories, and it had affected everyone immensely. Those who weren't actually crying were still feeling terribly at the moment.

Caroline and Norman looked at each other worriedly, sending the other a mental message.

" _Was this a mistake?"_

Neither had an answer to this. But it didn't matter at this point, it was too late to dwell on that now. All they could do was try to help everyone howrever they could.

Every family member embraced each other, hoping to find comfort in their embrace. All the while, May was outside on the patio, alone. That being said, her wails and sobs could still be heard in the living room if it was quiet enough.

Realizing that no one was out helping May, Grace chimed in, still holding her daughter close to her. "Should someone go check on May?"

both Norman and Caroline looked at their fellow parent before speaking. "She likes to be alone when she gets like this. We'll go check on her in a few minutes."

Caroline explained, holding a crying Max in her arms.

While this was going on, Delia had managed to keep her crying to a minimum. There was still something she wanted to do.

So, without anyone even noticing, Delia slipped out of the living room and out the back door before ending up on the patio/deck.

When she arrived arrived, she immediately saw the silhouette of May at the end of the deck, directly in front of the railing. She could still hear her crying, but her sobs were no longer as intense or loud.

Before Delia made a move however, she took a moment to notice the beautifully lit gazebo about 20 feet from the end of the deck. It was lit with hundreds of white christmas lights and it illuminated quite a lot of the yard. If so many emotions weren't swirling in the air, it would've been a peaceful sight to see.

After shaking out of her stupor, Delia approached the young brunette.

May didn't notice anyone was with her until Delia was directly beside her. When May looked at the older woman, she noticed her looking ahead, staring at the gazebo that held her gaze just moments prior.

"I'm really sorry that showing everyone his hat caused the reaction it did. Though, I probably should've expected it considering that's how I reacted when I first found out about it...I just thought everyone would want to know what happened since it pertains to Ash." Delia apologized, her voice soft.

May quickly shook her head vehemently. "No Delia, don't apologize. I'm glad you showed us his hat. It's just...hard...but I don't have to tell you that..."

Delia nodded at the young woman's words. "Yeah. It is hard. Harder than I thought anything could ever be... But we can't just forget, even I know that. That's why I brought his hat. Even though it hurts so badly, Ash deserves for his memory to live on in us."

May nodded as she noticed the amount of tears falling down Delia's cheeks increase slightly Without even realizing it, her tear production had increased as well.

It was then that Delia finally looked at May, meeting her gaze. "I know you loved him, and I can't thank you enough for that...You two would've been great together."

Delia shot May a smile through her tears, which earned one in return from May.

It was then that Delia reached into her pocket and pulled something out, looking at it as she did so. May couldn't quite see what the item was as of yet, but she didn't have to wait long before she would get to see it.

"I thought that you might like to have this." Delia started, holding up Ash's half of the Terracotta ribbon. "It's just been sitting in Ash's room, collecting dust, so I thought it would be better with you. I know how much you value your half, so I think it's best for Ash's half to return to you so that it can be whole again."

Delia's words were soft, and careful, but they held such a deep meaning that it was almost shocking. May carefully took the ribbon from the older woman's hand and studied it carefully, her mouth just slightly agape. It was in pristine condition, as if time hadn't touched it in the slightest. Delia had said that it had been collecting dust, but May couldn't see a trace of it; it looked just as impeccable as her half did.

Getting the feeling that May was going to want to be alone for a while, Delia walked back inside, but not before she hugged the young woman closely.

Once Delia was gone, May turned around and leaned slightly against the rail of the deck, still staring at Ash's half of the ribbon. She simply stared at it for a few moments before rummaging around her pockets for a few seconds and pulling out her own half.

Then slowly, carefully, May brought the two halves together, lining up the edges perfectly. It looked as it the ribbon had never been split. It was so clear that both halves were meant to be together...

After a few moments of simply staring at the now whole ribbon, May cupped her hands around the two halves and brought them close to her heart before she slowly sunk to her knees, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Whenever she blinked, all she could see was Ash's charming, goofy smile. And while that used to be her favorite sight in the world, it only served to haunt her now, to remind her that she'd never get to see that smile again.

And now, she had both halves of the ribbon. It was whole once again.

But May...she still wasn't whole.

Her other half _couldn't_ come back, not like the ribbon's could.

And this thought alone was enough to send her emotions spiraling.

The depression hit just like it always did, quick and hard. May could do nothing but sit and cry as she held the ribbon to her chest. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting like this, but she did manage to hear the dinging of the large clock in her house signifying the top of the hour.

It was 9:00pm.

Though, it didn't really matter to May. No matter the time, the reality would always be the same.

…

…

"May."

* * *

 **A/N: OOOO it's 9:00pm, which means it's time for Ash and May's faithful reunion. How will they rect to seeing each other? How will May react when she finds out that Ash can only stay for one night? Find out in the next chapter! See ya!**


	4. Until the Morning

**A/N: Get ready for some serious cheesiness and fluff ;)**

* * *

 _"I have to go back at sunrise. Arceus said that I can only stay for the night..."_

 _-Ash Ketchum_

* * *

One More Night

…

…

"May."

May's heart dropped as she heard her name be called from behind her, deeper in the backyard.

It wasn't so much that her name had been said, it was more what the voice saying her name sounded like it belonged to...

May refused to look at the source of the voice, knowing that there was no possible way he was there. Her grief was causing her mind to play tricks on her, that's all. It wouldn't be the first time that'd happened.

...

...

"May, please look at me."

The person said, once again in Ash's distinct and unmistakable voice. May was becoming frustrated at her mind for making this illusion seem so real. It was killing her.

...

...

"May...it's me. I'm here."

Finally, May stood to her feet and turned to face the source of the voice so that she could scream at the person. She'd concluded that someone must've been playing a prank on her as the voice was definitely not just in her head, and that infuriated her to no end.

But before she could say anything, May's eyes finally fell on the man who'd been speaking to her. Immediately, her breathing hitched and her eyes widened. She then began breathing rapidly, her heart pounding a mile a minute.

He was there.

He was actually there.

Ash was standing in the gazebo, smiling that goofy smile she'd missed so dearly right at her.

May couldn't speak. She couldn't move. It was as if her brain had completely shut off. She literally couldn't believe it. There was no way that he was here... It was impossible...

Noticing that May was frozen, Ash simply chuckled and continued to look her way. "Hi, May... You have no idea how good it is to see you again."

Ash had never been happier than he was in this moment. Not only could he see May, but she could see him as well.

After almost 30 seconds of silence and shock had passed, May threw any and all skepticism she still had away and ran to Ash. She didn't care if this was an illusion or some dream, not anymore. All she knew was that it appeared that Ash was there with her, and that was all that mattered. The only fear that still remained in her mind was that he would disappear as soon as she tried to touch him, that it really was just her mind playing a cruel trick on her.

But once she reached him and jumped into his arms...

He was still there, holding her close.

May knew she'd begin crying any second now, so she had to do what she'd been wanting to immediately. Without any hesitation, May pulled back just slightly and looked Ash in the eyes before going up on her tiptoes and kissing the taller man, putting all the love she felt for him into it.

May didn't even pause to think about the possibility of Ash not feeling the same way before dong this. But if she had, any and all fears of that would've gone out the window the moment Ash began kissing her back, which he'd done almost immediately.

The two stayed locked this way for a long while, only separating when the need for oxygen became too great. But even when they pulled back, they never once took their arms off of each other; May was still afraid that he might disappear if she were to let go.

Now that she'd done the one thing she'd always wanted to do, the tears began falling down May's face. But for the first time in two years, these weren't tears of sadness.

They were tears of joy.

May had never felt such happiness in her life. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought that it was going to pop right out of her chest. As tears rolled down her cheeks, May simply stared into Ash's deep brown eyes, the same eyes that'd comforted her so many times before.

Ash was also lost in May's blue eyes, having felt that he'd never seen anything so beautiful. He was so thankful to Arceus in that moment. He would have to do something to repay him. But that would come later. For now, all he wanted to do was be with May.

"Umm...hi!" Ash said, not quite sure what to say. His words caused May to chuckle through her tears before her face returned to its previous expression. She then proceeded to ask what was, to her, the most obvious question.

"...How are you here...? Are you... alive...?" May managed to get out, her angelic voice like the sweetest music to Ash's ears. Ash also couldn't help but notice the bit of hope in the brunette's voice when she asked if he was actually alive. This saddened Ash greatly as he was going to have to let her know the real truth of it and he was confident that she wouldn't like what he had to say.

"Well...not exactly." Ash started, confusing May as well as worrying her slightly. "Arceus is letting me have one night back on Earth. I begged and pleaded with him to do this for me because... I just had to see you one more time."

May felt even more tears begin to fall from her eyes as a wide, beautiful smile spread across her face. He'd come back just for her, and that meant so much to May.

"We...we have to go tell the others!" May said, grabbing Ash by the hand and preparing to rush back into the house.

But when she tried to pull Ash along, she realized that he wasn't moving with her. May turned and looked at him in confusion, which caused Ash to sigh before he explained himself.

"May...you're the only one that can see or hear me while I'm here." Ash told the lovely brunette.

"But why...?" May was saddened by the fact that her friends wouldn't get to experience the same elation she was feeling because of Ash's return.

Ash smiled softly before responding. "Because when I talked to Arceus, I specifically asked for him to give me one more night with...with you. Of course, I would love more than anything to see the others, but Arceus told me that was too risky right now."

A look of understanding joined the smile that was still on May's face. Just then, May remembered the one thing she'd always regretted not telling Ash. She felt some fear over what she was about to do, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

She wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away.

"Ash...I love you." May revealed in the sweetest, softest, most loving voice possible. "I love you more than anything in the world. I've loved you since I first met you, and my love for you hasn't faltered in the slightest since you've been gone. You're absolutely everything to me, Ash. God, it feels so good to say it. I love you so much, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash's heart filled with a warmth he'd never experienced before upon processing May's revelation. Even though he'd already known about her love for him, hearing her actually say it to him was something else entirely. It had to be the best feeling in the world.

Ash smiled softly before speaking. "I know. And I love you too. More than anything."

May's face lit up as tears once again began streaming down her cheeks. She'd thought that simply seeing Ash again was the best feeling in the world, but this proved to be even better. The man she was in love with loved her back. After experiencing it first hand, May was sure that there was no better feeling than that.

Once again, the two leaned in for a kiss, with Ash being the one to initiate it this time. It was almost unbelievable just how much passion and love was behind the kiss. To both parties, this was the greatest thing they'd ever experienced.

Ash had actually been to 'heaven', and he could say with confidence that being what many considered paradise didn't even come close to being as amazing as what he was feeling in this moment.

Once again, the two only broke apart when they needed to breathe. But after they separated this time, they rested their foreheads on each other as they panted, having kissed for over a minute.

The two stayed silent during this time, just staring into each other's eyes They both would've been perfectly content just staying here, staring at each other all night.

During this period of silence, May remembered something Ash's said. Hoping to get an answer to the question she had circling her mind, she began speaking.

"Wait...you said you knew that I was in love with you. How?" May inquired, thinking that she'd hid it better than that while they were together.

"Well, when I first...left, I talked to Arceus and I... requested something. And because I'd helped him in the past, he was more than happy to do whatever he could for me. My request was to be able to watch over all of my friends, to be able to see how they were doing, even though I couldn't actually be there. So, I've been watching over you and the others for the past two years, you just didn't know it." Ash revealed to the brunette.

May was surprised by what Ash'd said. "So you were there for your..."

"Funeral?" Ash finished for May. Seeing her nod, Ash chuckled. "Yeah, I was And I must say May, your speech was one of the most beautiful, yet heart-wrenching things I've ever heard. And before you ask, yes, it was weird attending my own funeral. I wouldn't really recommend it. It's actually pretty creepy."

Ash used a joking tone in order to lighten the mood. It seemed to have worked as May chuckled at his words.

With nothing else to say at the moment, May simply embraced Ash once more, holding him tightly. Ash did the same, relishing in the touch of the woman he loved.

After a few minutes of simply hugging, May began to speak. "You know, when you were coming to Hoenn to visit me, I was planning on telling you my feelings while you were here."

"No way. Really?" Ash asked, surprised. He felt May nod into his chest, causing him to half scoff, half laugh. "That's really funny... because I was planning on confessing my feelings for you during that trip."

The two shared a laugh at the situation, ignoring the sadness that would typically come along with remembering that Ash had never made it to May's house for that visit.

May then puled away, for the first time letting go of Ash as she reached into her pocket to grab something. When she pulled the items out and showed them to Ash, he smiled.

"Our ribbon." Ash spoke fondly, earning a nod and a sweet smile from May.

Ash proceeded to grab his half of the ribbon from May's outstretched hand and stared at it for a few moments. He was incredibly glad that when he'd done what he could to make sure his pokemon would reach land somewhere and be saved, he'd attached the ribbon to the belt that held his pokeballs. This was Ash's most prized possession, and he never wanted to lose it, even if he was gone.

Ash held the ribbon out in front of him and smiled at May. "Two halves of a whole..."

May smiled warmly in response and matched her ribbon with Ash's, making it whole once again. "Reunited once again."

The two relished in this moment for a while before they returned the ribbon to their pockets. Now, there was something else Ash wanted to do.

Before Ash'd come to Earth, he'd made sure to get a few things ready for his time with May. One thing he'd wanted to do for a long time was have a dance with May. Now Ash wasn't much of a dancer, but Ash remembered how badly he wanted to dance with May while they were in Rota as he knew she would've liked to. But he couldn't do that whilst they were there, which disappointed both Ash and May. But now, this was something they could do.

And standing here, in the beautifully lit gazebo, was definitely romantic. Ash was proud of the fact that he'd managed to get a romantic atmosphere going, even though it'd been more due to luck than anything.

Ash reached into and pulled out a music player he'd had Arceus whip up for him for this occasion. He searched through it's contents before stopping on a slow song and playing it.

He then set the music player down on the railing of the gazebo and reached his hand out toward May.

"May I have this dance?" Ash questioned formally.

Without a second thought, May smiled excitedly before softening it and grabbing Ash's hand with her own. "Of course, my love."

And so, the two danced slowly to the song, leaving no space between them as they did so. Just feeling each other's body heat and smelling the other's scent was intoxicating to them both.

This was by far the best thing that'd ever happened to them.

…

…

Back inside the house, enough time had passed to where May's parents thought that they should now go check on May. With this in mind, both Norman and Caroline approached the back door. Though instead of going through it, they looked through the large glass window that was situated next to the door first; they wanted to make sure May was still out there and had calmed down a bit.

They quickly noticed May in the gazebo, seemingly dancing. The only problem was, to them, there was no music and there was no one else with her, even though it appeared she thought that there was.

Both Norman and Caroline were immensely confused by this.

"What is she doing?" Norman questioned, baffled by what his daughter was doing.

Caroline didn't have an answer, so she didn't respond. Though, it seemed that Norman had been loud enough to earn the attention of a few others in the family room, as Grace, Johanna, Professor Oak, Delia, Serena, Dawn, Misty, Max, Bonnie, Iris and Brock entered the room that housed the back door and the large window.

"What's going on?" Grace asked.

Instead of responding verbally, Norman and Caroline simply moved to give the others more space to see outside. Immediately, they all noticed May dancing in the gazebo.

Everyone was confused by what she was doing, and they were slightly worried about it.

"Should we go talk to her?" Johanna inquired.

Caroline, still looking out the window, shook her head before responding. "No, let her be. Look at the smile on her face. I haven't seen her smile like that in years. Whatever it is she's doing, it's making her happy, so lets just leave her be."

Everyone noticed the amazingly happy look on May's face, which led them to accept Caroline's suggestion. They would simply go back into the living room and return to the 'party'. Everyone had stopped crying a while ago, and they had only just began conversing again. Though, stories of Ash were once again being swapped and the atmosphere had become light. They were actually all looking forward to returning to their conversations.

The group then returned to the family room, leaving May to her own devices, glad that whatever she was doing was making her happy.

…

…

Ash and May danced through a few songs, enjoying each other's touch more than anything. Though once the third song ended, the two pulled away from one another. And while they did separate, their hands still remained on each other.

With a teasing glint in her eye, May spoke. "I'm impressed, Ash. You only stepped on my feet like, twice!"

Ash chuckled at May's words before he huffed, crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at her. "I was doing my best, you know!"

May giggled at Ash's reaction before she uncrossed Ash's arms with her own and placed them around her. "I know, I'm only teasing. But seriously, this was wonderful, Ash. I was really disappointed when we didn't get to dance at the ball in Rota. But you just _had_ to go and win that tournament."

May's words earned another chuckle from. "I really wanted to dance with you that night too, believe it or not, even though I was even worse at it than I am now. But that old lady that was keeping me in my seat was scary! She had a cane, and she was not afraid to use it!"

May laughed at Ash's over exaggerated fear of the elderly woman before the two fell into another silence. As they simply held each other, May's mind began to focus on something.

Ash noticed her face fall slightly, which worried him. Seeing him looking at her the way he was, May addressed him.

"So...what happens when the night is over...?" May inquired, terrified of the answer.

Ash sighed deeply before responding. "I have to go back at sunrise. Arceus said that I can only stay for the night..."

May's face fell even further as the reality of losing Ash again plagued her mind. May looked down, a few tears already falling from her beautiful blue eyes.

May only looked up when Ash placed his thumb and forefinger and raised her head, allowing her to see his comforting smile.

"Hey, we still have a lot of time before then. We just have to make the most of it." Ash told the beautiful brunette.

Ash's comforting words and look caused May to stop crying. And after a few seconds, a smile appeared on her face as she nodded her head in agreement.

There was nothing she could do about Ash leaving at sunrise, so she simply had to make the most of her time with him, just like he said. And she planned on doing just that.

"You're right, Ash. We'll spend as much time together as we can. And as long as I'm with you, I don't care what we do," May said to the man of her dreams. "I love you, Ash. More than anything."

Ash felt that warm feeling return in his heart as he processed May's words. "And I love you, May. And that will never change, no matter what happens. I want you to remember that. Always."

The two smiled warmly at each other before sharing a short, yet passionate kiss. They then decided to simply sit on the deck and talk for a while.

Ash and May chatted for hours, laughing and smiling joyously; they''d almost forgotten how much fun they used to have together, even when they were just doing something as simple as talking.

After a while, the two then decided to go lay on the grass and cuddle close together. May'd gone inside and grabbed a blanket that they could lay on, not acknowledging anyone else that was in the house. And like before the others simply let her be as May seemed incredibly happy with whatever she was doing, and they didn't want to possibly rip that away from her.

The two had their bodies intertwined as they looked at the sky. It was a clear night, giving them a breathtaking view of the stars. Ad while they had been content simply laying there with each other, they did get a bit... frisky... at one point, making out and just having fun. That being said, they didn't do anything too serious. But even if they had, this was normal for people at their age who are deeply in love .

By this time, without even realizing it, it was nearing 6:15 am; the time had passed quicker to them than ever before. They only figured this out when Ash checked the time on the music player he'd brought. It was amazing how fast time flew when they were together.

May was laying with her head on Ash's chest, her arms around him and her legs intertwined with his, with Ash holding her closely with his arms. For a while now, May had been struggling to stay awake. For the first time in years, she was truly comfortable, and all of the sleep she'd missed out on over the past two years was finally catching up to her. But every time she'd begin to doze off, she'd snap herself awake, not wanting to lose a single moment with Ash. And as much as he wanted to spend more time with her as well, seeing her do this broke his heart.

The sun was due to rise at around 7, which meant that Ash and May's time together was coming to an end. Both of them knew this, but neither of them were willing to acknowledge it, lest they both break down completely.

Ash noticed that May was having a harder and harder time trying to keep herself awake. And while he would've liked to spend more time with her, he wanted her to be comfortable more than anything; he wasn't going to force her to stay awake when it was clear that she needed sleep.

Ash ran his hand through May's hair a few times as he spoke softly. "It's okay, May. You can sleep."

"But Ash...the...sunrise...soon...leaving..." May tried to form a coherent sentence, but she couldn't while being so tired.

Ash momentarily looked at the sky, seeing that it was beginning to brighten slightly as the beginnings of the morning's sunrise had begun. Ash felt tears well up in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. He wanted to at least try to stay strong until the very end. So instead of crying, he simply smiled sadly and toothlessly with slightly misty eyes as he continued running his fingers through May's beautiful brown hair. That being said, the agonizing pain he was feeling could still be seen in the slight quivers of his smiling lips.

May knew that Ash was going to be leaving soon, that this would truly be the last time she would ever see him. But even with that in mind, she couldn't keep her eyes open. Not with the immense amount of comfort Ash provided her. Plus, it was hard to stay awake when you were finally comfortable after feeling nothing but exhaustion for the past two years.

"Shh...it's okay, May. Just rest. It's okay..." Ash reassured her softly.

"Ash... I love you...so much..." May barely managed to get these words out.

This is what finally made a couple stray tears fall from Ash's eyes as he fought back his emotions so that he would cry out in sadness. He brought his free hand to his mouth, closing it in a fist, and biting down on it lightly as he tried not to sob. After a few moments though, the sad smile returned to his face and he lowered his hand. That being said, tears were still streaming down his face.

"...I know, May. I love you too. Now and Forever." Ash told the woman in his arms, trying as hard as he could to keep the emotion out of his voice.

It was but a few seconds later that Ash heard May's breathing pattern change, indicating that she had finally gone to sleep. Ash let out a quiet sigh as a few more tears left his eyes.

And so Ash laid there, embracing May, smiling sadly with tears pouring from his eyes while looking between May's beautiful face and the sunrise. The sun would be coming up any time now. There was nothing else he could do at this point.

Knowing this, Ash closed his eyes and waited for when the time would come for him to disappear.

As he did this, only one thing remained on his mind.

" _Thank you, May... for everything... I love you, and I'll wait for you... forever..."_

* * *

 **A/N: This is probably the shortest chapter you'll ever see from me. I just had to end it where I did. And it was cheesy as hell, but I warned you all! And Ash may be slightly OOC, but think about it. Not only is he older (21 in this chapter; May is 20), but this is all he'd wanted for so long. I think it's not hard to believe all the things they did.**

 **So they were given one more night, but can that ever be enough? I doubt it...**

 **See Ya!**


	5. One More Night

**_Enjoy the chapter_**

* * *

 _"So...what's next"_

 _\- Gary Oak_

* * *

One More Night

May's eyes began to flutter open as she started to awaken. She refused to open her eyes all the way as she was still tired, so she tried to instantly go back to sleep, having no sense of what was going on or what'd happened. But after a few seconds of tossing and turning on the not so soft surface, she decided that she should just get up as she just couldn't find it in herself to go back to sleep at the moment.

May proceeded to open her eyes, noticing immediately that she was outside, in the middle of her backyard. She was confused for a moment until the memory of everything that'd happened the night before came rushing back to her.

Immediately, her heart sunk as she frantically looked around for Ash, even despite knowing in her heart that she wouldn't find him. After a few moments, her eyes stopped on something that laid on the blanket, just next to her person. It was Ash's half of the Terracotta ribbon, which'd been in Ash's pocket the night before.

Instantly, the waterworks began. May reached forward and picked up the ribbon with a shaky hand before wrapping a fist around it and holding it by her heart. She knew that Ash would no longer be there by sunrise but now that he was actually gone, the pain was more intense than ever.

Though despite the horrible sadness she was feeling, May was still immensely happy that she got to spend one final night with Ash. She'd finally got to tell him that she loved him, and he actually returned her feelings. She got to be with the man of her dreams, romantically and otherwise, for one more night.

The best night of her life.

But now, she was facing the opposite...one of the _worst_ mornings of her life.

May felt somewhat similarly to how she'd felt on the day of Ash's funeral. After getting to see Ash again, she'd become addicted to his presence much like she had when they were together before his passing. She wanted nothing more than to spend every second of her life with him, and knowing that she would never get the chance to do that was killing her.

But apparently, her greatest desire just wasn't in the cards. May was beginning to believe that she was just destined to be alone...

Through her tears, May realized that it was still early in the morning, maybe somewhere around 9:00- 9:30 am if she had to guess based on where the sun was. She also remembered that it was now officially the 25th, Christmas day.

But despite the holiday, May felt anything but merry at the moment. The only thing May planned on doing was curling up into a ball on her bed and crying until she eventually fell asleep. And then, she would do the same the next day. And sh knew full well that this routine could go on for many more days to come.

With this in mind, May managed to slow her tears and stand up. Not even bothering to take in the large blanket inside with her, May trudged toward the door.

Immediately, she walked toward the family room, her eventual destination being the stairs. She realized that no one else seemed to be awake yet, which made sense considering how late everyone had been up the night before. Though, when she passed the house entrance to the gym, she was sure that she could hear some movement, indicating that people were beginning to awaken.

May then entered the family room, not having any desire to look at the large Christmas tree in the corner. She didn't want any presents, none of the beauty of Christmas. She only wanted one thing, and she knew that she could never get it, no matter how hard she wished for it.

May never looked up from the floor as she walked through the room. Only when she was just about to leave the room did she stop and look at the tree.

"May."

It was unmistakable It was the same voice that she'd heard the night before.

But it couldn't be, there was no way.

May turned around in a hurry, instantly allowing her gaze to fall on the man sitting just in front of the Christmas tree, a red bow placed on his head.

That goofy smile.

Those caring Brown eyes.

The was no mistaking it.

Somehow, someway, Ash was here.

"Umm...surprise! Merry Christmas, May." Ash said to May who much like the previous night, was completely frozen.

Though a few moments later, May ran toward Ash and embraced him with everything she had. Her enthusiasm caused Ash to laugh as he tried not to fall over from May's momentum.

After about a minute of just slightly audible cries coming from the brunette, May looked up at Ash. "H-How...?

Ash smiled brightly at the beautiful woman in his arms before he reached behind him and pulled out a card. He then motioned for her to take it. May was slightly reluctant to pull away from Ash, but she had to so that she could read it.

May read the card carefully, meticulously scanning over every word and deciphering the message's meaning. And as she finished the note, she could only make one conclusion from it...

"...Y-You're...really back? For good?" May questioned timidly, still unsure of what everything meant exactly. She needed to be sure, she needed to her him say it.

Ash's smile widened as he nodded his head. "Yeah, May. I'm back. I'm really back."

As soon as Ash finished speaking, a huge smile grew on May's face as she let out a loud squeal of joy before she approached Ash and kissed him passionately. They stayed like this for a few seconds, only pulling away as they head people coming.

"May, why did you scream? Are you okay?' Dawn asked. Even though she still appeared tired, May could still hear the concern in her voice.

As she spoke, herself, Serena, Cynthia and all of the rest of the group entered the room. Everyone noticed that May had her arms around someone they couldn't quite see and a beaming smile was on her face.

"May...who is that?" Caroline questioned, curious as to who this person was that was in her house; she was sure it wasn't someone who'd slept in the gym the night before..

May felt another wave of excitement flow through her as she prepared for the reveal. "I think it'd be best for you guys to just see for yourselves...?"

With that said, May pulled away, revealing Ash to all of his friends and family. Ash and May had been expecting a loud reaction, but instead they received the opposite; the group was completely silent. Everyone's mouth was agape, complete and utter shock evident on their faces.

They stayed like this for a few moments, no one truly believing what they were seeing. But after a while, someone finally broke the silence.

"A-Ash...?" Serena started, disbelief evident in her voice. She slowly began approaching the raven haired boy as she spoke. "...Is that...is it really you?"

Serena's voice broke as the idea of Ash being alive once again finally hit her.

Ash smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Serena. It's me. I'm back."

As soon as Ash finished speaking, the beautiful blonde woman sprinted at Ash and embraced him as tightly as she could, sobbing into his chest. This was the catalyst needed to set everybody else off as well.

Tears began falling down everyone's faces, even Paul's, as the reality of the situation finally began to set in. Ash was back. Somehow Ash was back from the dead.

Dawn quickly joined her blonde haired friend in the embrace, also crying her eyes out. They gladly would've stayed embracing Ash all day if there weren't other people that wanted to hug him, to make sure that he was truly there. Cynthia then forced her two friends off of Ash unintentionally as she held him close, also wetting his shirt with her tears.

Misty, Max and Bonnie then took their turns and much like the others, their eyes were anything but dry.

It was then that Delia pushed through the crowd. She quickly locked eyes with her precious son, the shock of it all still clear on her face.

"Hi, mom." Ash spoke, his voice full of emotion. Knowing that his mother could see him again was filling Ash with a feeling he'd never experienced before.

Delia then rushed forward and hugged her son tightly, muttering incoherent phrases as she embraced him. She couldn't believe he was back. None of them could.

Everyone let Delia have as long as she wanted with Ash as he was her son. After a few minutes, Delia finally pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes.

With that exchange done, everyone else took turns embracing Ash and voicing their disbelief that he was here.

Just as the the last person had hugged him, a voice came from the direction of the stairs. "Pika Pi!"

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice only to find Pikachu sprinting at Ash, whom had the biggest smile on his face at seeing his starter and best friend once again. Glaceon was also by his side, though she was walking instead of running.

Pikachu had been coming downstairs after waking up from sleeping cuddled up with Glaceon in May's room when he swore he heard Ash's voice. To Pikachu, it was unmistakable. He didn't know how, but he knew that Ash was back, and that he wanted nothing more than to get to him as fast as he could.

Pikachu wasted no time in jumping into Ash's open arms and embracing his best friend for the first time in two year.

"Pikachu! I'm so happy to see you, buddy!" Ash managed out through both his laughter and his tears, which had started the moment he saw Pikachu coming at him.

Pikachu had begun crying as well, but the smile on his face was unwavering as he nuzzled his cheek on Ash's, causing him to feel a pleasant spark of electricity.

The two stayed embraced for a while longer before they finally separated, with Pikachu taking his rightful spot on his best friend's shoulder.

Once their embrace was completed, everyone took a seat wherever they could.

Many claimed the few couches in the room, while May, Cynthia, Serena and Dawn had decided to sit as close to Ash as they could without actually being on top of him. May was by his side, her arms around him while Cynthia occupied his other side. Both Serena and Dawn actually sat down just in front of Ash, facing his way. They were all very close to the raven haired man, but no one took notice of any of this as the emotion of Ash being back was still overwhelming their senses completely.

Once they were all comfortable, someone finally asked the question on everybody's mind

"How are you here, Ash? How did you come back? Were you just missing and not actually...you know..." Brock asked on behalf of everybody.

"No, I really was dead, not just missing." Ash said, his lack of tact surprising a few members of the group.

"But this morning, I got this." Ash held up the letter he received from Arceus. "But first, I should probably explain a few things..."

Ash explained how he'd been given the opportunity to spend one more night with May, with her being the only person to be able to see or hear him. And Ash made sure to tell them all about the stipulation that he would disappear at sunrise This information instantly made it clear why May was doing what she was the night before. Ash also told them how he'd been watching over all of them for the past two years. .

"...But this letter showed up just as the sun peaked over the horizon. It's from Arceus, God, if you will. He said he's been thinking about this a lot, weighing the risks and the possible outcomes of bringing me back to life. Apparently, the world has been shifting slightly out of balance and as this generation's only chosen one, I have to be the one to keep that balance in check. Arceus decided that the risk of altering fate and bringing me back to life was less than the danger that would come with the world shifting any further out of balance."

"Wow...that's quite a tale, Ash." Professor Oak said, earning scoffs from a few people as it seemed like a massive understatement.

"I really don't care how or why you're here, I'm just so happy that you're back... My life ended when yours did, Ash. I felt as if I had no reason to live on, and I know that a few others in this room felt the same. But now that you're back...I finally feel like I can live again. That with you by my side, I can do anything." May spoke enthusiastically, earning nods of agreement from Cynthia, Dawn and Serena, of whom she was referring two when she'd mentioned others in the room.

Ash smiled warmly. "You have no idea how happy I am to be back. I missed you guys more than you'll ever know." Ash then focused his attention solely on May. "I'm so glad that you feel that way, May. And I promise, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I love you."

"Wait, what!?" Gary exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention. Everyone was very surprised by what Ash'd just said.

Despite the reactions coming from around the room, neither Ash nor May were embarrassed. May decided to take the reigns and explain this one.

"Last night, we confessed to each other. You all know that I've been in love with Ash for years. And it turns out that he loves me too." May spoke joyously, wrapping her arms around Ash and kissing him on the cheek.

Most everyone was overjoyed by the revelation, especially May's parents and Delia. They knew that Ash and May were always meant for each other, so seeing them finally together was incredible.

Cynthia, Dawn and Serena were also extremely happy for their friend.

They loved May, just as she loved them; the four of them had been great friends in the years leading up to the tragedy and even though they didn't see each other much over the past two years, their friendship had remained extremely strong. This being said, they did all call each other at least a few times a month just to talk and check in on things. They were the only people who truly understood what they going through over the past few years, so even when they would just cry together over the phone, exchanging no words, it was always the slightest bit helpful to have a close friend who knows what you're going through with you.

With this all being said, save for Cynthia who'd, according to her, had kept it pretty well under wraps, it was no secret to anyone that looked hard enough that the three women all had deep feelings for Ash as well. Though, it appeared that May had beaten them to he punch and Ash had made his decision. And while they were disappointed, they would respect what'd happened. They were just glad that Ash was back in their lives at all. But of course, the feelings they had for Ash would always be there. Of that, they were sure.

So for now, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia simply sat as close as they could to the man they'd been crying over for the past two years, overjoyed from just the heat his body was radiating.

"oh, I'm so happy for you both!" Both Caroline and Delia shouted out gleefully. Everyone else voiced their congratulations as well, all but one.

Norman Maple made his way through the group, walking toward Ash. Realizing this, Ash stood to his feet, much to the displeasure of May, whom was forced to let go of him when he did this. It didn't take long for May's father to reach the slightly taller man. Ash knew that Norman both liked and respected him, but he couldn't tell by the older man's stoic expression what he thought about him dating his daughter.

Having somethings he wanted to say first, Ash started before Norman could. "Norman, I just want to say that it would really mean a lot to me to have your permission to date May. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to keep May safe and happy. I'm going to treat her like a queen and give her the utmost respect for as long as she'll let me." Ash paused for just a moment. "I love your daughter, Norman, I love her so much. And I know that she loves me too. I truly hope that, you're okay with that."

Everyone watched on in curiosity of how Norman would respond as Ash finished speaking. A select few were simply staring at Ash in awe, amazed and touched by his heartfelt words. May especially so as what Ash'd said caused a warmth to rush throughout her body and a massive smile come to her face. She couldn't wait for herself and Ah to make more memories together.

A few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence passed as the two men looked each other in the eye. Though, it wasn't long before Norman finally reacted.

The older man moved forward and hugged Ash, and hugging was not something Norman did often with anyone besides his wife and kids. Ash had been hoping for a handshake or something of the sort, but this was just as good as it meant that he approved. The two broke apart a few seconds later and met each other's eyes once again, this time with happy smiles on their faces.

"I always knew it was going to be you. When I first saw you and May together, how you two interacted, I knew that she was going to fall in love with you. But before everything happened, my biggest worry was that you wouldn't return her feelings as I knew that would crush her completely as it was clear that you'd become everything to her. Little did I know something much worse was going to happen..." Norman darkened just slightly as he mentioned Ash's death.

"But even when we thought you'd never be able to, you managed to find a way to come back...for May. After all the things you've done for her, all of the times you've saved her and encouraged her, I'd have to be a real jerk to not accept you as May's love." Norman spoke happily, though with a light seriousness in his voice that said how much he meant these words. "May is happiest when she's with you, that much is easy to see. So yes Ash, you have my permission to date May, and I know I speak for Caroline when I say this as well. I couldn't ask for anyone better to be my future son in law."

Ash smiled at the older man before nodding his head, ecstatic about the answer. And even though he'd mentioned him being his 'son in law' at some point in the future, neither May nor Ash were made uncomfortable by this. They were two halves of a whole, they were meant to be together forever, and they both knew it. One day, they knew that they would get married, and only then could a day even have a chance to be better than this one in May's mind.

When she could finally call herself May Ketchum, that would be the best day of her life. /of that, she was sure.

Though, they both knew this was quite a ways off as even though they'd been in love for a long time, they'd only just now gotten together. Plus, they were still young and had things that they wanted to do in their lives. Marriage would always be there, and they were both fine with waiting. As long as they were together, everything would be just perfect.

Everyone smiled joyfully at the scene, even Max who normally would've taken an opportunity like this to tease his sister, even though his teasing about Ash had come to an abrupt halt when Ash had passed. Now that Ash was back, there was no need for him to be wary of it anymore. But still, for now, Max was just happy that his sister and his biggest idol were together and that they were happy. He couldn't think of anyone better for May.

As Norman began to back up from Ash and reclaim his seat on one of the couches, Ash prepared to sit back down himself, only to stop when he saw Brock slowly approaching him with his hands behind her back, obviously hiding something.

"What's up, Brock?" Ash questioned.

Brock came to a halt in front of his best friend before pulling what he was hiding from behind him. He gave the item a once over in his hands before extended it for Ash to take.

"I"m pretty sure this belongs to you." Brock said as Ash took the item.

Ash grabbed the item and looked at it with wonder and amazement. He couldn't believe that they'd managed to get his favorite hat back. He ran his thumb over the emblem in the front a few times before eagerly placing it on his head.

"Thank you, Brock." Ash shared his gratitude. "How did you guys find this? I was sure that this thing was gone forever."

"It washed up on shore a couple of months ago in Hoenn. They gave it to me and I managed to clean it up. And now that you're back, you can finally reclaim what's yours." Delia spoke happily, very glad that she'd taken the time and effort to clean and repair her son's hat. After all, it was his favorite, and she knew that it was as such for just one reason...

Because this was the hat he'd been wearing when he met May.

With that much sentimental value behind it, Delia knew that she had to make sure that this hat was back in tip top shape, even when she believed that Ash was never coming back.

Ash smiled softly at his mother. "Thank you, Mom."

Delia acknowledged Ash's thanks before reclaiming her seat. Ash sat down once again as well, with the four girls shifting as close as they could get to him again, a scene that made everyone chuckle. May also threw her arms around him once again, with Ash placing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her even closer

The large group sat in a comfortable silence for a while, simply allowing the fact that Ash was back to process in their minds; even though quite a bit of time had passed by this point, it was still so hard to believe.

"So..." Gary started, getting tired of the silence. "Now that you're back, what's next?"

All eyes fell on Ash as they awaited his response.

Ash looked at everyone in the room before his eyes fell on the girls around him. Seeing their smiling faces filled him with incomprehensible joy. And then his eyes fell on May, who's smile, he was sure, was bright enough to light any room.

Seeing the way May was looking at him right now made Ash happier than he'd ever been. There was so much love behind her eyes and in her smile, and all of that love was being directed at him. It truly was an amazing feeling.

Ash then looked at everybody once again. But before he could answer, a voice rang out in everyone's heads.

" _Ash, would you please come to the backyard?"_ A powerful voice spoke telepathically, with Ash being the only one to recognize the voice; even though they'd met the pokemon behind the voice at one point, Dawn and Brock still couldn't quite place why the voice sounded so familiar, nor could they recall who it belonged to.

Ash smiled and stood to his feet, prompting everyone to do the same. Ash took notice of this and simply smiled, knowing that they simply wanted to be his side. Plus, he was sure that they were curious who this voice belonged to.

Ash then lead the way to the backyard, with everyone else pouring out behind him. Immediately, they all took notice of the long being standing in the yard.

Although he'd made himself a more manageable size for this excursion, there was no mistaking that Arceus himself was in the Maple's backyard.

Many were shocked and amazed that the god of everything was currently standing before them. The only person who didn't appear to be shocked was Ash, who approached Arceus as if he were an old friend. The others followed Ash as well, though they stayed slightly behind him, knowing that Arceus specifically had asked for Ash to meet him out here. Plus, they'd be lying if they said they weren't the slightest bit intimidated by the God pokemon.

Ash then bowed to the pokemon, prompting everyone else to do the same. It wasn't long before Arceus said for everyone to stand back up and that they didn't need to be so formal as they were friends of Ash's, his chosen one.

Before Ash could speak, Arceus' voice rang out, this time from his mouth as he didn't need to use his telepathy when they were right in front of him.

"Ash, it's good to see you. I'm hoping you're enjoying the little...surprise?" Arceus questioned knowingly.

A broad smile appeared on Ash's face as he nodded his head. "Yes, Arceus. I've never been so happy in my life. I can't thank you enough for what you did for me, but I'll try. Thank you, Arceus. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Arceus nodded at Ash's words and smiled himself, happy that he was actually able to do something substantial for his chosen one.

"Not that it's not good to see you, but what are you doing here, Arceus?" Ash asked, wondering why he'd decided to come to Earth to speak with him.

"Normally, I would've just had you teleported to the Hall of Origin, but I made a special exception today as I didn't want to force you to leave your friends and family so soon after being reunited." Arceus explained to Ash, whom smiled appreciatively. Many of the others also chimed in their thanks to Arceus for what he'd done.

"I am here to talk about some things with you." Arceus said, his voice becoming slightly more serious, causing Ash to become more so himself. "As I told you in the letter, I did not bring you back to life solely from the goodness in my heart. There is a major reason, a purpose, as to why you are needed here on Earth."

"You said something about the balance of the world shifting, right?" Brock questioned, now feeling more comfortable around the deity.

Arceus nodded at the tanned man. "That is correct, Brock." Arceus then turned his attention back toward Ash. "As I've already stated, the balance of the world has shifted a great deal in your absence. The lack of a chosen one was more dire on the world than I initially thought it would be."

Ash appeared slightly confused. "But I thought you said the world was only slightly out of balance?"

"Originally, that is what I thought. But I've come to realize that the world has shifted much more than I first thought. That is why I brought you back to life: because the risks of doing so are now lesser than the risks of the world shifting any further out of balance. Do you understand?" Arceus made sure that Ash was following along.

Seeing Ash nod, Arceus continued. "Problems with a few of my children, legendary pokemon as you call them, have started springing up and causing them to be unable to perform their duties that help keep the world in balance. As you know, as chosen one, it is your duty to aid any and all legendaries when they are in danger, as well as other people and pokemon. And sadly, I have foreseen great danger befalling a number of my children in the coming months and years."

"To make it simple, I brought you back to life because you have a duty to uphold. This duty is to aid any and all legendaries when threats to them arise, just as you have done with great success in the past. You must keep the balance by making sure that my children can do their jobs. Without you, there is a possibility of there being no them. And without them, the world will fall apart at the seams, wiping out humanity and pokemon kind. I hope this illustrates to you just how important your duty is to the survival of this world and those who inhabit it." Arceus said, making sure to ingrain just how important Ash was to the Earth.

Everyone's eyes widened at Arceus' revelation. All of them had known about Ash being the 'chosen one' after his encounter with Arceus years ago. And while they knew he was important in some way, they weren't sure exactly how, no one was, save for Arceus. But now that they knew, many were astounded by just how important Ash was to the survival of the world.

Ash took a few moments to process all that Arceus had said to him. He had his eyes looked on the floor, a thoughtful look on his face as he did this. After a while, Ash returned his gaze to Arceus and addressed him.

"How will I know who is in danger. And when they're in danger? Also, how will I know where these events will happened?" Ash made the question circling his mind known.

Even though Ash had saved legendaries before, he wasn't quite sure how he could go about seeking out specific legendary pokemon or know when they might be in danger. He'd always chalked up his meetings with so many legendary pokemon to luck, but now he wasn't so sure, and he was looking for an answer.

"Ash, you have helped to save many of my children over the course of your journey, have you not?" Arceus asked rhetorically, only to receive a nod from Ash. " I can assure you that none of those meetings were coincidences,. Fate plays a pivotal role in the world's balance. Earth always wants to be in equilibrium, meaning fate is in its favor. But because fate took an unexpected turn as it sometimes does, it had no chosen one to lead to these events to save those in need, and not just pokemon, but people as well."

Arceus took a few seconds to collect his thoughts and go over what he was going to say next. "I suggest you begin journeying again as over the course of your travels, you will surely encounter these events naturally. You still have aspirations of being what you call a 'Pokemon Master', yes?"

Ash was actually surprised by the question. Since his passing, he'd rarely thought about his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. It just seemed that there were more important things to worry about during this time, namely his friends and family. But now that he'd been reminded of his dream, he felt a familiar flame begin burning within him. The passion he'd always had for battling was making itself known once again.

Ash put on a determined smirk before speaking. "Yes I do, Arceus. And I'm going to accomplish my dream too!"

Everyone loved seeing Ash like this once again. The childlike excitement he held for certain things was incredibly endearing to his friends and it always served to brighten them up.

Arceus smiled at his chosen one. "Very good, then. There are a few more things I would like to tell you, however. First of all, while I was able to bring you back this time, you are by no means invincible. Bringing you back to life once was risky enough, but doing it any more times would surely be disastrous. This all means that should you find yourself dead once again, I will not be able to brig you back to life."

Everyone gulped at the thought of Ash losing his life once again. Though, they supposed it made sense. After all, Arceus had made a point of just how risky bringing Ash back to life the first time was, so it only made sense that he wouldn't be able to do it again.

The determination on Ash's face never once faltered as he nodded his head. "Don't worry, Arceus. There is no way that I'll allow that to happen again. I have way too much to live for."

As Ash said these words, he turned his head and looked at his friends and family, meeting each of their eyes for a moment. He spent a few extra seconds on May's beautiful blue eyes before he faced Arceus once again.

Arceus nodded his head. "Alright, then I only have one more thing to say to you for now. Your journey will be dangerous and exhausting at times. You and those with you will have to show bravery like no other ever has before you. And even though I've seen you do it before, I must ask you now: are you prepared to handle what is to come?"

The smirk on Ash's face only grew at Arceus' words. "I'm more than prepared, Arceus. I've spent my whole life helping people and pokemon. It's quite literally what I live for. So yes Arceus, I know that my journey will be dangerous and tiresome, but I am ready to face any challenge head on!"

Just as Ash finished speaking, Brock stepped forward so that he was standing beside Ash. "And he won't have to do it alone. I will be by his side throughout his journey, helping wherever I can."

Ash looked at Brock, surprised by what he'd said. He'd talked about possibly becoming a traveling pokemon doctor before the accident, but now it looked like he was going to make that a reality. Ash was ecstatic that Brock would be with him on his journey once again.

Motivated by Brock's words, Serena then stepped forward. "I will be by his side as well. I have no plans of leaving Ash anytime soon."

Ash then smiled appreciatively at Serena, which she returned in kind.

Dawn then stepped up. "Me too. I'm never leaving his side again. There is no place I'd rather be than by Ash's side.

"I didn't know what I was going to do after I lost my title as Champion of Sinnoh and frankly, I didn't really care. I was too busy allowing myself to be consumed by grief to want to do anything." Cynthia started as she stepped forward as well. "But now that Ash is back, I can truly start to live once again, and I can think of no better way to do that than to travel with him and experience amazing things along with him and my best friends."

Ash looked at Cynthia in shock. Even though they were very close friends, Ash'd never expected her to want to travel with him. But now that she no longer held the title of Champion of Sinnoh, she would actually be able to travel again. And knowing that she wanted nothing more than to be by his side during her journey made Ash feel amazing.

Many of the others said their piece, though it was clear that Cynthia, Brock, Serena and Dawn would be the only people able to travel with Ash on his next journey. Though, there was still one person left who'd yet to say anything.

Noticing her stepping forward, Brock made room so that May could stand directly next to Ash. Immediately, she took his hand in her own and shot her boyfriend and smile before addressing Arceus.

"I don't think anyone has to ask if I'll be by Ash's side. I would follow him to the ends of the Earth." May spoke with vigor, emphasizing just how much she meant what she was saying.

May then turned her attention away from the deity and met Ash's gaze, a soft smile on her face.

"When you were gone, I felt like I had nothing to live for. My world ended the moment that you stopped breathing. But now, you're back and I finally feel alive again. I finally feel the desire to accomplish my old dreams! But most importantly...I finally get to be by your side again. I get to make new memories with you. If I never accomplish any of my dreams, that's perfectly okay... just as long as you're with me. I will stay by your side forever, Ash. I love you more than anything." May finished sweetly, a beautiful smile on her face.

Ash felt many positive emotions over what May'd said, as well as what they others had stated. He was so happy that those he cared about most would be by his side once again, that they would no longer have to feel as they did when he was gone.

Ash leaned down and kissed May gently on the lips for a second before pulling away and smiling at the brunette, whom was now being held in his arms. After a few moments of simply staring into each other's eyes, they turned back to look at Arceus, though May still had her arms around Ash and the raven haired man had his arm draped over May's shoulder.

Arceus couldn't help but smile at the scene. Just because he was a god didn't mean he didn't enjoy seeing people happy, especially his chosen one and his friends.

"Wonderful." Arceus started. "Ash, you have some amazing friends, I hope you know that."

Ash nodded without hesitation. "I do, Arceus."

"Those around you will play pivotal roles in what is to come, I'm sure of it." Arceus informed the group. "But as long as you stay together, I have complete faith that you'll be able to right the world one again. I'll be taking my leave now. I wish you all good luck and Ash, if you ever need to speak with me, just contact Mew mentally and she'll be able to teleport you to me."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise at Arceus' words. From what he gathered, he now had the ability to contact Mew at any time, in any place. Deciding he wanted to test this new ability, Ash tried to mentally contact Mew.

And just a few moments later, Mew appeared in front of him, flipping around happily before snuggling into Ash's chest, causing those around his to coo at the cuteness of the legendary pokemon.

Ash could never help but smile when Mew was around, even on his worst day. He was immensely glad that Arceus had granted him this ability.

"Hey, Mew. I just wanted to see if I could really contact you mentally, and it looks like I can!" Ash spoke happily.

"Mew mew!" Mew exclaimed, flying out of Ash's arms and flipping around in the air once again.

"It was nice to see you, everyone." Arceus started, causing everyone's attention to fall on him once again. The god then turned his attention to Ash. " I don't think I have to remind you to always remember that there are people around to help you. And I will also say this: you are my chosen one for a reason, so never doubt yourself. Goodbye."

With that said, both Arceus and Mew teleported away, leaving the group of friends still standing in the yard

Everyone simply stared at the spot Arceus had been standing for a few moments, many of them still having a hard time believing that they'd just had a conversation with a god. Though after a while, Ash turned to face everyone.

"I can't thank you all enough for standing by me, for caring for me the way you do, and for simply being there for me for all these years. " Ash shared his gratefulness as he was feeling very sentimental after everything that'd happened.

Ash then turned his attention to those who'd declared their intent to travel with him on his next journey. Each one of them he;d a warm smile on their face as they stared into his deep brown eyes.

"I'm so excited to travel with you all again. And Cynthia, I'm so glad you want to travel with us! I'm pumped to be able to make memories with you on our journey!" Ash spoke brightly.

Cynthia blushed just slightly at Ash's words, but not enough for it to be noticeable. She then nodded her head, the soft, warm smile never once leaving her face. She was truly excited about making memories with Ash and her closest friends as well.

"And like we said, no matter where you go, no mater what you have to do, or what challenges you might face, we're forever going to be by your side." Serena added sweetly.

"Always." May finished for her blonde friend as she stood directly in front of Ash, looking up into his eyes.

Ash nodded, first at May and then to the others he'd be traveling with. "I know, and I can never thank you enough for that. I'll be glad to have you all by my side for the rest of time."

Everyone truly meant everything that was said. May, Dawn, Cynthia, Serena and Brock truly did intend on traveling with Ash for the rest of their lives. After losing him once, they weren't going to let a single precious moment with him go. Plus, they'd then always be with their closest friends. No one could've thought of anything better.

With nothing else to say, Ash took May's hand and motioned his head toward the house

Ash then started speaking.

"Come on. We've gotta figure out what region we're going to go to. Plus, I'm starving!" Ash over exaggerated his discomfort at not having had food in god knows how long.

Everyone laughed at Ash's antics while May simply voiced her agreement and smiled happily.

And for the first time in two years, she truly was hungry.

Delia became extremely excited at the prospect of cooking for her son again. Even though she'd never had a real passion for cooking, she did enjoy it and at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to make food for Ash's return.

"I'll start cooking, right away!" Delia spoke joyfully.

"Me too!" Caroline added, wanting to help make the feast that would be celebrating Ash's return.

"I'm in as well." Grace added.

"I think I can be of some help in the kitchen." Johanna spoke proudly.

"I'd like to help, but we need to figure out where we're going to be going on our next journey. But once we have that figured out, I'd be happy to lend my aid if you'll let me." Brock said lastly, immediately receiving nods from the older women, indicating that they would love his help.

With that all figured out, the four mothers made their way inside ahead of everybody else, their destination being the kitchen.

The rest of the group then followed behind, entering the house as well. They then made their way back to the living room. The six who would soon bee traveling together very soon all sat around the coffee table in the middle of the large living room, while the rest of their friends took residence on the couches.

"Okay, so we need to go somewhere that has both gym battles and contests..." Ash spoke what was on his mind.

A few moments after he'd spoken, a thought popped into Ash's head, one that he didn't really like. That being said, he needed to know the answer to the question that was now circling his mind.

Everyone noticed Ash's expression change, making them curious as to what he was thinking. They didn't have to wait long to find out however as he soon met the gaze of Serena, May and Dawn.

"You guys...still want to do contests, right? Because I know that after what happened...you guys stopped competing. It's perfectly fine either way, I just thought I should ask." Ash questioned with a slight timidness in his voice.

Serena, May and Dawn all had thoughtful looks appear on their faces. With everything that'd happened that day, none of them had even really given thought as to if they wanted to begin competing again.

After Ash'd died, the fire, the passion that the three girls used to have for contests had faded completely. Ash had been so instrumental in getting their starts in the world of contests and performing. Without him there, it was just too much to bear. It just seemed so pointless.

But now, Ash was back. Just that thought alone made the three women smile once again. And now that they'd given thought as to what they wanted to do on this journey, they all quickly came to a conclusion.

The three women locked eyes with one another and nodded their heads, having a silent conversation between them. It was Dawn who'd began speaking for the trio.

"Ash, the only reason we stopped competing was because it was too painful to do knowing that you were gone. You were such a big part in why we all either started, or went as far in contests as we did. Without you there with us...it all just seemed pointless. Trying to perform while you were gone was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. And while contests would at one time fill me with absolute joy, the only thing I felt that day was incredible pain. In the middle of my performance, I just broke down in front of everybody. I couldn't believe how hard it was..." Dawn recounted her tale, remembering just how difficult that day was.

The emotions Dawn felt toward these memories had shown through in her voice, which Ash took notice of, making his face drop.

"I-I'm so sorry. I know that you guys stopped all because of me, and I am so sorry for tha-"

"No Ash, we're not trying to get an apology from you. You did absolutely nothing wrong." Serena spoke in a light tone, showing that nothing that'd happened was his fault. "You couldn't help what happened. You're just such a huge part of our lives that as Dawn said, competing in contests was just so painful."

"But now, you're back." May started, a smile growing on not only her face, but her two friends' faces as well. "And I know that I speak for all of us when I say that passion I once felt for contests is starting to come back. Because now that you're here to congratulate us on a win, or cheer us up when we lose, just that you're here at all, performing actually _means_ something to us again. So yes Ash, all three of us will be performing in contests on this journey."

Ash smiled joyfully as he met the gaze of all three women, whom were all smiling brightly toward him. After a few moments of silence, Ash's smile turned soft and he nodded his head.

"That's great. I'm really glad to hear that." Ash started. "And I'll be there to cheer you on every step of the way!"

Dawn, whom was smiling sentimentally toward Ash, responded. "We know, Ash. And that means everything to us."

The bluenette and the raven haired man shared a smile for just a few seconds before he did the same with both May and Serena.

With this situation having been dealt with, Ash figured he might as well ask Cynthia what she was going to be doing on their journey, even if he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Ash met the blonde's gaze before speaking. "So Cynthia, I'm guessing that you're gonna be gunning for the champion of whatever region we go to?"

Ash smiled softly at Ash before she shook her head in the negative, shocking everyone. Seeing this, Cynthia couldn't help but chuckle before she decided she should explain herself.

"I was the champion of Sinnoh for four years and everyday during that time, there was something I had to do, somewhere I had to be, just something to keep me ridiculously busy. There was never one second that I got to myself, nor was there hardly any time for me to be with those I care about. If I were to become champion again, then I'd be forced to stop traveling with you, and that is not something I want to do." Cynthia spoke with a soft smile on her face. "I have been a champion and I've experienced the lifestyle, and I've come to find that there are just other things I'd rather be doing, like seeing the world alongside those I hold closest to my heart. That chapter of my life is over, and you have no idea how excited I am to start this new one alongside you."

Shock was still present inside everyone, but many were also now sporting smiles of their own, respecting her decision.

Ash and Cynthia stared at each other for a few moments, simply enjoying the fact that they, along with their closest friends, would soon be traveling the world.

After a few seconds, Cynthia smirked and crossed her arms. "That being said, I still plan on taking on gyms, collecting badges and competing in the league. The only thing out of the ordinary is should I win the position of champion, I'd decline it. So be ready Ash, because you're gonna have some serious competition this time around."

Ash chuckled at Cynthia's teasing before nodding his head and putting on a competitive smirk of his own. "Bring it own, Cynth. It would be an honor to defeat you in the Pokemon League."

The two held up their competitive glare for a few moments longer before they both started laughing, prompting everyone else to do so as well.

After getting past their fit of laughter, Ash spoke to Cynthia once again. "But seriously Cynthia, I think that's great. We're gonna have a lot of fun taking on gyms together. And just so you know, should _I_ win the title of champion, I'll also be declining it."

The entire room, save for Cynthia, gasped in shock at Ash's words. It just seemed so strange. Though Cynthia was pretty sure she knew the reason why he would do this.

"My dream is to be the world's greatest Pokemon Master and to do that, I have to beat the champion of every league this world has to offer, and I can't do that if I'm a champion myself, rooted in once place. I've looked into this and even if I don't take the position of champion, I'd still be recognized as someone who beat the champion, meaning it would still count toward my goal of becoming a Pokemon Master. There hasn't been a Pokemon Master in quite a long time, and I plan to be the one to break that dry spell." Ash spoke with a level of determination that only he could exude.

His explanation made sense to everyone, and it also confirmed what Cynthia had been thinking. The blonde ex-champion had one more thing she wanted to say, something she truly believed with all of her heart.

"You're definitely going to become a Pokemon Master one day, Ash." Cynthia started sweety, surprising Ash slightly. "I know we're going to have to compete against each other at some point, but I really do believe that you will become a Pokemon Master. Don't ask me how or why I know this because I have no idea, I can just _feel_ it."

Cynthia's soft, sweet words of encouragement made Ash feel amazing. To have the support of someone who'd been so respected in the world of battling was incredible. But even more than that, Cynthia was one of his best friends, and having her believe in him was a feeling that could never be beaten.

"Thank you, Cynthia. And I know that you're going to accomplish all that you want to as well. And I think we're going to have some classic battles in the coming years." Ash stated happily.

Cynthia simply returned the smile with one of her own and nodded her head. With this conversation completed, the group then refocused on the task of deciding on which region they should travel through.

"Okay, so we need a region with both contests and gym battles. That leaves us with quite a lot of options." Brock said to his friends.

Everyone thought to themselves for a few moments before Serena got an idea. They all noticed the blonde's face light up and looked her way, waiting for her to speak.

"Why don't we just travel here, through Hoenn? It's been a long time since I've done any traveling here and I know that you guys haven't traveled here in a long time as well. It's perfect!"

The group thought over Serena's words, with everyone coming to the conclusion that it sounded like a good idea.

"Sounds good to me." Brock said.

"I'm in, all the way!" Dawn added excitedly.

"I'd be happy to travel through Hoenn with you all." Cynthia stated.

"Yeah...Hoenn will definitely work. Great idea, Serena!" Ash commended his friend for her thought, causing her to blush just slightly from the praise.

Now, only one person had yet to speak, and that person now had all eyes on them, looking at her expectantly.

"May?" Ash started softly. "Does that sound good to you?"

Ash looked at all of her friends in the room and then locked her eyes with Ash's, bringing an amazingly beautiful smile to her face. May then reached out and grabbed Ash's hand in her own before speaking to the man she loved.

"I don't care where we go...just as long as I'm with you."

Ash smiled sentimentally at his girlfriend before he watched her dig around in her pocket and pull out a very familiar item. May then proceeded to hand Ash his half before with their free hand, bringing the ribbon together, making it whole once again.

The two looked at the ribbon for a few moments before looking deeply into each other's eyes. With love in their hearts, Ash only had one more thing to say.

"No matter where we go, or what challenges we might face, I'll always be by your side..."

"Forever"

* * *

 **A/N: And there it is, the final chapter of "One More Night". I had a lot of fun working on this project and I hope you all enjoyed it. I really wanted to illicit some emotions from this one so if any of you shed a tear or two over the story, please let me know!**

 **And yes, I know a lot of you probably see me bringing Ash back as a cop out of sort, but I just couldn't leave him dead (though an alternate ending might be coming *hint hint*). This story was meant to be cheesy and overly romantic, so I thought I happy ending was the best option for the true ending of this story.**

 **Also, I'm very much considering doing a couple 'alternate endings' if you will. Let me know what you think of that in a PM or review! I won't spoil what the alternate endings will be, but I will say that I do have quite a few other ways that I could've ended this story that I'd like to put out there. So while this chapter marks the _true_ end of the story, these alternate ending will be coming out soon.**

 **I truly hope you all enjoyed this story and now, I'll be getting back to work on my other stories! So if you enjoyed this one, go check out my other stories that are still ongoing. They're no where near as cheesy and the plots are much deeper and more developed. See Ya!**


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